Id
by Noizchild Johnson
Summary: Tenth in Ghost Doll. A new virus has escaped in Japan causing people to be controlled by their id in the new year. The Shinigami work to stop the bloodshed. But things take a sharp, complicated turn when Shichiro, Haruka, and Amaya return.
1. New Years Birthday

ID

_Chapter One: New Year's Birthday:_

Running. Adrenaline racing. Sweaty palms. The club's music pounded in the background. His paranoia unfolded in sections. The colors blurred in his eyes. Heavy breathing.

_What is this…_

The countdown began. Ten. His heart rate increased. Nine. He could smell Hell. Eight. Alice jumped down the rabbit hole. Seven. Make it stop! Six. Circles. Five. Circles. Four. Circles. Three. A pixie walked up to him. All pretty in pink. Two.

"Give me a kiss," she said. One. He lunged at her. A scream filled the club. Happy New Year! Her blood flooded the marble black floor.

_January 1st, 2010._

Tsuzuki awoke to the sound of match being struck. He looked and saw Anna sitting on the floor lighting white candles on a small cake. She mumbled a small chant over the candles. She looked drained and hollowed out. The shinigami sat up in her futon.

"Have you been crying?" he asked. Anna looked up at him.

"Hm?" she asked. The woman reached up to her eyes.

"Are there tears?" Anna asked.

"No…" Tsuzuki said at first. However, he looked closely at her face. "Wait. Yes, you are."

"Damn it," Anna mumbled. She sniffled as she wiped her new forming tears.

"What's the matter?" Tsuzuki asked. Anna shook her head. Her fiancé climbed out of bed and walked up to her.

"Aww come here," he whispered. The shinigami held her to his chest. She cuddled up close to the warmth of his body.

"It's his birthday," Anna mumbled. Tsuzuki looked down at her.

"Who?" he asked. His woman looked up at him.

"It's Papa's birthday today," she whispered. Tsuzuki didn't say anything.

"Anna-chan…" he said. Tsuzuki felt his own heart aching. There must be something he could do. He stared deep into her greenish-brown eyes.

"Let's go to the shrine," he said. Anna gave him a puzzled look.

"What for?" she asked. Tsuzuki held her cheeks.

"Trust me on this, okay?" he whispered. Anna closed her mouth. Tsuzuki gave her a little smile.

"Very good," he whispered. He kissed her on the lips.

At ten, the couple headed out the local shrine. They didn't talk the whole time. She didn't even smile. Tsuzuki fought to keep it together. _Ten long years_, he thought. _Must be hard._ He came up to the bell.

_Let Anna-chan heal this year_, Tsuzuki thought. He gave the bell one ring. Anna waited for him at the entry.

"Did you pray for his soul?" he asked. Anna nodded at him. She looked like she would cry again. Somehow, he felt like this didn't really help out like he hoped it would.

"Ready to go?" Tsuzuki asked. She didn't answer. He forced himself to smile.

"So," he said. "Want to pick up a meal?" Her man breathed out. "Okay…" he mumbled. Both headed into the city.

"Forty-five," Anna spoke up on the walk. Tsuzuki paused and looked at her.

"Hm?" he asked. Anna looked up at him.

"Papa would've been forty-five today," she said.

"Ah," Tsuzuki replied. He held her hand tighter. "You can cry if you want. Just let it out." His fiancée shook her head.

"I can't do this anymore," she said. "I spent up all of grieving. Now I just have a loneliness that I don't know how to get rid of." Her grip tightened in his hand.

"So, I do the ritual to feel something year after year," she said. Anna went quiet as she noticed the pity in Tsuzuki's eyes. She quickly shook her head.

"Oh forgive me," she brushed off. "I seem to be bringing you down on New Year's Day. Sorry about that." Tsuzuki gave her a little smile. His finger trailed along her cheek.

"It's alright," the man whispered.

"He loved Kurosawa Akira's films," she said in a low voice. "Kurosawa was his favorite director."

"So that's why you rented all of those DVDs yesterday," Tsuzuki said. Anna nodded.

"And bought the cake," she said. Both went silent. Time to try and change the subject before they both got really depressed. Suddenly, Tsuzuki remember something.

"We haven't set a wedding date yet!" he gasped, trying to cheer her up. Anna looked up at him.

"Oh that's right!" she said. "When will we get married?"

"Uh…" her man said. Anna raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did you even tell them?" she asked. Tsuzuki looked nervous.

"I'm working on it!" he complained. Anna pushed on his arm.

"Asato-kun!" she said.

"I can't find the right moment!" he said.

"They'll find out sometime," Anna pointed out.

"I know!" her fiancé said.

"So when?" the woman asked. Tsuzuki nuzzled her on the neck. Anna giggled.

"Ooo! That tickles!" she murmured. Tsuzuki leaned close to her ear.

"We'll talk over the cake and one of Kurosawa-san's films," he whispered. Anna looked over at him.

"You mean…" she said. Her man smiled and nodded.

"Yes," he said. Anna fought to keep down her emotions.

"Can we watch _Dreams_?" she asked. "That was our personal favorite and my first Kurosawa movie." Tsuzuki gave her a little smile. He patted her on the head like a little sister.

"Anything you like," the man replied. Anna smiled back. Happy started to the New Year? Well…


	2. Butch  Loli

_Chapter Two: Butch + Loli:_

Emiko and Hotaru had a good New Year's Eve. That was their date night. They decided to hit the city and get crazy.

"Would you go out on a date with me, Hoto-chan?" Emiko asked. The loli demon smiled.

"Yes!" she said. They got dressed up too. Emiko had on a black and white pin-stripe suit complete with a fedora. Hoto-chan mixed Goth and Hime Lolita tonight.

"How do I look?" she asked. Her date smiled.

"Beautiful!" she said. "You look beautiful!" Hotaru squealed.

"Thanks, mama!" she cheered. She gave Emiko a big hug. The butch demon patted her on the back.

"Easy there," she said. "We have to look nice together. Come on." Hotaru didn't listen.

"You smell nice," she whispered. Emiko smiled in slight discomfort.

"Yeah," she mumbled.

They hit the streets at seven o'clock. Hotaru turned to Emiko in excitement.

"Where to?" she asked. The butch demon smiled.

"Your choice," she said. Hoto-chan pondered this. Her lips curved into a smile.

"Anywhere," she said.

"But where?" Emiko asked.

Hotaru leaned in close to her face. "To best club in town."

Emiko grinned. "Your wish is my command!" Her girlfriend smiled. Panda Grove had just opened in Tokyo. The line wound to the local drug store for four blocks. The demons looked at the people. Hotaru bit her lower lip.

"Ooo," she said. "Looks a little long. Think we should go somewhere else?" Emiko shook her head.

"Nah," she said. "We're going in." Hotaru gave her a puzzled look.

"But how?" she asked. Emiko stopped forward.

"No problem," she said. "I've got it." She took her girlfriend by the hand and teleported inside. The pounding music drowned out everything; only the glitter and gold overpowered it. Everyone looked like on angel or demon on the dance floor. Hotaru gasped with big eyes.

"Wow!" she said. Emiko smiled at her.

"See?" she said. "Told you I got it." Hotaru turned to her and kissed her on the lips. The butch demon kissed back. _Score!_

The waitresses looked like Playboy Pandas tonight. They kept the drinks flowing like money. Guy eyed the girls' boobs all night. The girlfriends didn't mind; they were too drunk to care. Hotaru observed the atmosphere around her. She spotted a guy sitting alone at the table across from her. He looked like a normal guy. Lonely, maybe in college by the looks of him. Not drunk yet, but kind of cute. Hotaru smiled to herself as an idea formed in head.

The young man looked up and noticed Hotaru watching him. She winked and blew a kiss at him. The man's cheeks turned cotton candy pink. Hotaru giggled and blew another kiss. The guy looked around a bit. The loli demon flickered her tongue at him. Her victim stared on intently. Hotaru loved where this was going. Emiko was busy talking to one of the panda waitresses. Her girlfriend loved her chances. _Perfect!_

The young man had his eyes fixed on her as Hotaru reached over and touched Emiko's knee. Her victim crossed his legs and took in deep breaths while she gently rubbed on the stripped material. Hotaru winked and moved her hand upwards. Emiko swatted her hand away.

"Hoto-chan!" she yelled. "Yuck! He's gross!" The young man turned away embarrassed. The loli demon laughed, but Emiko frowned.

"Oh come on, mama!" the "daughter" cooed. "It was a joke."

"Not funny," Emiko muttered.

"Oh come on!" Hoto-chan wailed. Her girlfriend looked away, snorting. The loli demon held her hand.

"Smile, mama," she said. Emiko got another drink from the waitress' tray. Hoto-chan sighed and looked around. She laid her chin on Emiko's strong shoulder.

"Will dancing with me make it up to you?" she whispered. Her girlfriend glanced at her.

"No flirting?" she asked. Hoto-chan kissed her on the cheek.

"I promise," she whispered. Emiko's face didn't change.

"Alright," she said. Hotaru's eyes lit up bright as she squealed in her girl's ear.

"Yay!" she cheered. Emiko rubbed her ear in pain.

"Damn, you're loud," she mumbled.

"Sorry," Hotaru whispered. Emiko smiled and patted her on the head.

"You're a cute," she said. Hoto-chan giggled. The couple spent the night dancing together in a sexy way with Hoto-chan grinding up close to her girlfriend all while kissing her on the neck. Emiko whimpered in her ear. The Panda Grove was right across the street from where the murder took place in the club.


	3. New Case File

_Chapter Three: New Case File:_

January second brought more work everyone. Tsuzuki didn't want to be here. He would much rather be back in bed with Anna. Yesterday was tame compared to New Year's Eve. Tsuzuki smiled as he remembered that night. He seduced her into bed with him. She resisted at first.

"But Rihoko could walk in on us," she said. He nibbled on his fiancée's neck.

"Please," he pleaded. His arms came around her waist. She smelt good. Her hair stirred him awake between the legs.

"I love your hair," he whispered. "You are just worth the wait tonight

"But…" she whispered.

"Please?" Tsuzuki pleaded. Anna's weakened as his hand reached up for her breasts.

"Asato-kun…" she murmured. He kissed her on the lips. From there, the rush began again. All of their clothes littered the floor. He pushed her onto her futon. He drank his fill, but let her have her pleasure as well. No, yesterday was more somber. It would've been inappropriate to sleep with her on his deceased soon-to-be-father-in-law's birthday. Maybe tonight would be different. However, younger Gushoshin flew into the room.

"Tsuzuki-san, Hisoka-kun!" he exclaimed. "Konoe-san needs to see you right away!" Tsuzuki came back to earth and pouted.

"Aww," he whimpered. "Right now?"

"He says it's urgent," the younger Gushoshin said. The older shinigami sighed and lowered his shoulders.

"Fine," he mumbled. He and Hisoka made it down to the chief's office.

"This case came to us last night," Tatsumi reported. He flipped on the TV. Tsuzuki and Hisoka gathered around the screen.

"Police in Tokyo are investigating the violent murder of a college girl in a nightclub that took place around midnight on New Year's Eve," the reporter announced in a disturbingly perky voice. "This is the third murder that occurred in the same night. No word on whether or not the cases are connected as of this time." Tatsumi hit pause.

"We have the missing details of the case," he said. He handed them the file. Tsuzuki and Hisoka read it over. All three victims had their bodies torn to shreds. All that remained were massive pools of blood. The shinigami turned back to Konoe- san.

"We believe that this case falls under our jurisdiction," he said. "You need to find the cause and stop the murders!"

"Yes, sir!" Tsuzuki and Hisoka replied.

"There is one lead," Tatsumi added.

"What is it?" Hisoka asked. Tatsumi handed them the file.

"All three of the victims came from Todai," Konoe said.

"Todai?" Tsuzuki and Hisoka asked. The former sighed and rolled his eyes. _There goes my date with Anna-chan tonight_, he thought. _Oh boy!_

"Is there a problem, Tsuzuki-san?" Konoe asked. The man quickly shook his head.

"No, no!" he lied. "I'm on it!" He gave off a nervous chuckle. _Oh boy…_

Meanwhile in the basement of Tokyo University, the next round of the experiment began…


	4. Looking for Mother

_Chapter Four: Looking for Mother:_

Haruka tapped her elbow with her fingertip. Shichiro and Amaya sat before her across the coffee table. The old lady frowned.

"She can't stay alive like this," she said. "If she is our mother…" Haruka trailed off at that thought. "No!" she snapped. "We can't let that happen!"

"What will happen?" Shichiro asked. His mother cast her evil eyes at him. Her son quickly went quiet. Haruka calmed herself down.

"If Anna has the mother kitsune," she began. "She might use her to wipe us all out."

"But how?" Amaya asked. "Isn't her kitsune still locked?"

"But what if she gets out?" Haruka asked.

"Do… Yasuo-aniki and Nobu know about this?" Shichiro asked.

"Yes!" his mother yelled. She breathed heavily. Her son understood her worry. Three days before New Year's, the Eda-Kimoto clan's kitsune started acting peculiar. They wouldn't really eat some of the soul after the kills. Sometimes, they wouldn't even come out. Amaya looked at her husband and mother-in-law.

"Is it that bad?" she asked.

"Yes!" they yelled. The wife backed off, putting up her hands.

"Okay, okay," she said. Haruka glared at her son.

"Why is she here?" she whispered.

"She wanted to," Shichiro whispered back. His mother frowned as she turned her attention to Amaya. The daughter-in-law was becoming excess baggage.

Meanwhile, mother and son's kitsune watched from above. Kohaku turned to Shiroko.

"What do you think?" it asked. Shiroko shrugged.

"Maybe," she said. "They're not wrong."

"You felt it too?"

"Yeah." She shut her eyes. "I can hear her."

"Hear her?"

"Yeah. Can't you?"

"I don't know."

"Try it."

"Alright…" Kohaku shut its eyes. "Oh wait! I hear something!"

Shiroko looked closer. "What do you hear?"

"I can't tell. It sounds like a whisper." It focused harder, but then the kitsune reeled back, clenching its teeth.

"What's wrong, Kohaku-chan?" Shiroko asked. The other kitsune panted.

"I need more souls!" Kohaku gasped. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Below, Shichiro clenched his chest and gasped aloud.

"Shichi-kun!" Amaya cried. "Shichi-kun, what's the matter?"

"It hurts," he whispered. His wife stroked his back.

"Having you been feeding?" she asked.

"No!" he cried out. The husband drew in heavier breaths to try and cope. Haruka observed them, rather perplexed.

"How long has it been like this?" she asked.

"A week!" Shichiro wailed.

"I knew it," his mother hissed. "This is what I mean! If Anna has the mother kitsune, she must be killed before we die."

"Yes!" Shichiro cried in pain. Haruka drew in a heavy breath.

"Go kill some people," she said.

"But what if Kohaku won't eat?" her son whimpered.

"Force it down its throat!" she snapped. "Just take your sniveling pain somewhere else!"

"Come on, Shichi-kun," Amaya whispered. "I can help you."

"Okay," he mumbled. His wife helped him to his feet and walked him out the door. Haruka shook her head as she watched them leave. She flopped back in her chair and sighed. _Damn you, Akio_, the old woman thought. _Why do I get these?_


	5. Restart the Mission

_Chapter Five: Restart the Mission:_

_August 7th, 1960._

Emiko raced through a narrow dark tunnel of black nothing. She had just escaped from Hell. It took her weeks, no, it took her years to plan this out. Fifteen years to be exact. Hell was far behind her. Now, she just had to follow this path out.

She came out into a clearing and looked around. Fog as far as the eye could see. The air felt like an ice cube. Emiko took baby steps out into this open wild. Her feet found swallow, lukewarm water. A smile came onto her face.

_This feels nice_, she thought. Emiko treaded through the water for ten minutes. She finally spotted land. The butch demon laughed aloud. She ran all the way to the moss and collapsed upon it. Emiko breathed in the cold air.

_I'll just rest here_, she thought. _Collect my thoughts, enjoy my freedom…_ She slowly drew her eyes closed and went to sleep. Five days later, Emiko awoke to a sweet face standing over her.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked. Emiko blinked at her.

_January 3rd, 2010._

Emiko awoke in a cold sweat. She drew in slow breaths to gather her thoughts. She felt herself trembling. It didn't add up. _Why? Why is the past coming back to me? What is it trying to tell me?_ _Does that mean…_ She paused when she felt a body stirring awake next to her. Emiko looked and saw Hotaru turning to her. The loli demon gave her a little smile.

"Good morning," she whispered. Emiko tried to smile as she nodded.

"Morning," she whispered back. Her girlfriend noticed her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Emiko asked. "I'm perfectly fine." Hotaru shook her head.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked. "Did you have a bad dream or something?" The butch demon went quiet as she looked away. _I can't hide anything from her_, Emiko thought. She held her girlfriend closer to her body. Hotaru looked up at her.

"Mama?" she asked. Emiko rested her chin on Hotaru's head.

"Baby," she whispered. "Let's restart the mission." Hotaru quickly looked up at her.

"Mama…" she began. Emiko held her closer to her.

"We have to," she said. "We have no choice."

"But we failed to overthrow Hell last time."

"So, we'll try it again. I've been studying what went wrong in the first uprising."

"And?"

"We can make it work this time." Emiko noticed Hotaru still frowning at her. "Aww, what's wrong?" she asked. Hotaru shook her head.

"Most of our comrades died. We lost many of our friends in the revolt."

"I know."

Hotaru sobbed as she grabbed her lover tighter. "I… I just… I don't want you to die, Mama!" Emiko stroked her back. _Aww_, she thought. _That's why you don't really want to do this._ The butch demon kissed the loli demon on the head. Hotaru looked up at her with big eyes.

"Emiko-sama…" she whispered. Her girlfriend put her finger to her lips. She gave her a little smiled as she leaned in close to her ear.

"I'm making you a promise right now," Emiko whispered. "I will do anything to make it out of this battle alive. So will you, so will Mike, and so will Kazue. Okay?" Hotaru sobbed as she nodded Emiko held onto her.

"Good girl," she whispered. Hotaru cried on her chest. Emiko looked out into the dim morning light in their room. _I hope this is the right thing_, she thought_. Is this the right thing? Sumire-chan…_


	6. Welcome to the Devil's Workshop

_Chapter Six: Welcome to the Devil's Workshop:_

Into the science building, down the stairs, through the narrow hallway, and straight into the basement near the back-end. An undergrad sophomore student opened the door. His three cohorts looked up at him.

"Yu, you're late!" a junior boy said. The undergrad closed the door behind him.

"Sorry," he said. "My professor held me up."

"Just come here," a sophomore said.

"Right, right," Yu said. He walked over to the make-shift lab.

"So, what do we have?" he asked.

"Come look," a sophomore girl said. Everyone crowded around as she flipped on the TV.

"Police are still looking for clues as to what happened on News Year's Ever," the reporter said in her creepy perky tone.

"I've never seen anything like it," the cop said. "We're looking at monster here!" The sophomore girl grinned.

"Gentlemen," she said. "I give you, success!" The boys became excited.

"No way!" the junior gasped. "You mean…" She nodded at him.

"That's right," the girl said. "The experiment was a success." The boys were quiet for a long moment.

"So, what do we do now, Ai?" Yu asked. The girl gave him a little smirk.

"We run the next round of experiments, for Soma's Mother," she said.

"But with who?" the sophomore boy asked.

"The freshman class?" Yu asked.

"No," Ai said. "I want to expand out some." The boys eyed her intently as Ai grinned.

"The high school," she said. Her boys eyed her nervously. Ai's face didn't change.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"No, no!" the boys said, shaking their heads.

"It's just…" Yu spoke up. All eyes fell on him. Ai raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just what?" she challenged. The undergrad sophomore clenched his fists.

"That was the last batch we used," he reasoned. "Where are we going to get the supplies? Plus, Soma's Mother takes days to create. My whole winter break was shot!"

"Anything else?" Ai asked. Yu closed his mouth and quickly shook his head.

"No," he lied.

"You let me deal with the supplies," she said. "As for work, just carry on as usual."

"But classes will start soon," the junior cut in.

"Work around your schedules," their leader said. "Come on! We've worked so hard on this project since the summer! The first round of testing was successful. We can't quit, now, right?" The boys pressed their lips together.

"Right?" Ai asked again.

"Right!" her secret team agreed. The leader drew back and breathed out.

"Good," she said. "Now set up everything. We've got work to do today!"

"Yes ma'am!" the boys replied. They all quickly got to work. Ai turned to walk out the fire escape doorway. Yu looked up when he heard the door open.

"Hey," he said. "Where are you going?"

"To call in for supplies," Ai said. "Cell phone reception sucks in here. So, I have to go outside. You all know that." She disappeared out the door. Yu nudged one of his colleagues on the arm.

"What's up?" the junior asked.

"I just thought of something," he whispered. Yu swallowed at first. "If they tie all of this back to us, we're dead."

"Then don't get caught," the junior boy hissed.

"It's not easy, Michiro," Yu told him. Michiro grabbed him by the arm.

"Listen to me!" he hissed. "You breathe a single word of this to anyone, I will hunt you down and kill you! Got me?" Yu shivered as he nodded. Michiro smiled as he let of his colleague's arm.

"Good," he said. His attention turned to the other sophomore.

"That's goes to you too, Noriaki!" Michiro snapped. The sophomore nodded without looking up.

"Got me?" Michiro snapped.

"Yes," the sophomores said. The junior pulled back some.

"Good," he said. The junior and his colleagues went back to work.


	7. Hey Stella!

_Chapter Seven: Hey Stella!_

Stella's voice mail had messages to the top, two weeks' worth to be frank. Come to think of it, she hadn't been seen since the Satoshi incident around Christmastime. Lucy had her concerns.

"Has anyone see Stel around?" she asked the day after Christmas.

"She probably went home to see her family," Anna suggested as she took down the ornaments from the tree. The Goth shook her head.

"They disowned her years ago," she said.

"Maybe she's with a boyfriend?" Rihoko asked as she tried to take the lights off.

"Nah," Lucy said as she drank her sake. "She broke up with her last boyfriend two years ago. In fact, he is the reason why her family disowned her." Her friends gave her a strange look.

"Oh," Anna and Rihoko murmured.

"Have you tried calling her?" Seita asked from the corner.

"Yeah," Lucy said. "But, I'll try again."

"You do that," Anna said. "And while you're at it, help finish taking down the Christmas decorations."

"Whatever," the Goth mumbled, waving her off. She dialed her wolf demon pal. "Hey Stel, it's Lucy. Haven't heard from you. Call me back, bye."

Five days later, Lucy made another phone call. "Stella! Lucy here! Are you dead? Say something. Call me back, bye."

A week later, the Goth made another call to Stella. "Come on now! Are you dodging me or something? What the hell? Say something, damn it! Let me know you're not dead!" Lucy wasn't the only concerned one, however. Mike had his own questions about his crush.

"Hey Lucy," he said the day before New Year's Eve. "You heard from that wolf chick?"

"Who? Stella?" the Goth asked, giving him a strange look.

"Yeah," the demon said. Lucy shook her head.

"No," she said.

"Has she called?" Mike asked.

"No," Lucy answered.

"I see," Mike said. "Do you have her number?"

"Sure," she said. "Won't do much good."

"Worth a shot," he said. Lucy showed him her phone. Mike got Stella's cell number and the calls resumed the next day.

"Hey Stella. It's me, Mike. Haven't seen you in days. Miss having you around. Maybe we could get together or something. Got out to the bar or to eat. You know, just hang out. Call me back."

Three days later, Mike tried to call again. "Stella! Foxy Stella! It's Mike. Lucy and I are wondering where you are. Just quit dodging us and call back, bye." 2009 passed. 2010 came and still no Stella.

"Any word?" Mike asked.

"No," Lucy said. "Not even answering her door and none of her neighbors have seen her. The police have jack squat."

"Now what?" he asked.

"Keep calling," she said. "And I'll keep looking."

"Ah," Mike replied. Around noon, he tried to call Stella again. "Stella! It's Mike again. It's a new year. Where are you? You're not in trouble, are you? Call me back."

Lucy even sent texts basically saying the same thing. A change finally took place on January fifth. A knock came on Wisteria House's door.

"Coming!" Mike called in the middle of the night. He wandered to the door and pulled it open. His eyes widened in completely stunned.

"Stella?" he asked. The wolf demon stood in the doorway with her face beaten about. Her eyes looked pitch black. Her cheeks, jaw, and nose were busted badly.

"Stella, what happened to you?" Mike asked. "Who did this to you?" Stella didn't answer as she walked inside.

"Did Stanly do this to you?" he asked. "Where is he? I'll kill him! I swear I'll kill him!"

"No!" Stella said.

"But, he has no right to hit you like that!" the demon protested.

"Stanly didn't do this to me!" she cut in.

"Then…" Mike began to say. Stella held up her hand.

"Mike, please," she mumbled. "Just shut up. I just want silence." She walked straight to the living room. They said nothing as they sat on the couch in the dark. Mike kept wondering where Stella went these past couple of weeks. What happened to her? And who did this to her?

"Yes," Stella spoke up.

"What?" Mike asked. Stella stared out into the darkness of the room.

"Yes, I will go out with you," she said. Mike gave her a little smile in the dark.

"Heh," was his only response.


	8. Battle Plans

_Chapter Eight: Battle Plans:_

_August 12th, 1960._

"Are you alright?"

Emiko's eyes yanked open. A baby doll-like woman stood over her. The butch demon sat up blushing when she saw her big green ones.

"What?" she asked. A confused expression shadowed over the other woman's heart-shaped face.

"Are you alright?" she repeated.

"I guess…" Emiko said. "Who are you?"

"Sumire," the woman answered. "What's your name?"

"Emiko," the demon said. She looked around at the foggy empty space around them. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I don't know."

"What day is it?"

"The…" Sumire counted on her fingers as she tried to think. "The twelfth, I think…"

Emiko gave her a blank stare. "The twelfth?"

"That's right. I'm pretty sure."

Emiko looked down at the soft moss. "Wow…"

"Uh…" Sumire spoke up.

"Yeah?" the butch demon asked. The woman shuffled her feet as she looked at the ground.

"Do you need anything?" she asked, blushing. Her rosy cheeks made her that much cuter. "Can I get you something?" Emiko sat back, pondering her question.

"Well," she said. "I am a bit hungry."

"Okay, what would you like?"

"Anything, really."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Emiko watched Sumire run off in the wet summer grass.

_January 8th, 2010._

"Emiko-sama!" a voice called to her. "Yoo-hoo! Are you still there?" Emiko returned to earth. Hotaru looked her in the face.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked. The butch demon nodded at her girlfriend.

"Yeah," Emiko lied. "Of course! I'm fine. I'm fine!" She looked at her notes. "So where are we again?"

"You called us to the meeting," Mike cut in at the table.

"Oh yeah!" Emiko said. Kazue rolled her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked. "Why did you call us out of bed? How long will this take? And can I go back to bed afterwards?"

"Sure, sure," Emiko said. She pressed her hands together. "Okay. I want to restart the mission." All eyes fell on her. Hotaru's stomach dropped as the other two looked shocked.

"What?!" they asked.

"Why?" Mike asked.

"I have to," Emiko said with a sigh.

"But it failed," Kazue said.

"I know," the leader said. "But I have done better research."

"But why?" Mike asked.

"Why what?" Emiko asked back. The American man rose to his feet.

"Why start this mission again?" he asked. "Is it because you're having memories of her again?" The butch demon went quiet.

"Uh… well…" she said. Emiko looked down at her hand. Hotaru looked on at her girlfriend.

"Emiko-sama?" she asked. The butch demon shook her head.

"I have hooked up with some of the old contacts," she said.

"And?" Kazue asked.

"I'm still trying to talk to them," she said. "Excuse me." The butch demon stepped outside in the hallway. Hotaru looked at her housemates.

"What memories?" she asked.

"I'll let her tell you," Mike said. Hotaru sat back and bit her lower lip.


	9. Ai to KidaSensei

_Chapter Nine: Ai to Kida-Sensei:_

Once upon a time, there was a little girl from the sticks. She was the daughter of a psychiatrist mother. As a result, the little girl developed a love of the study of the mind. Her single mother enthusiastically aided in her daughter's passion. The little girl carried her interest through high school. The girl loved the study of the id. More particularly, what would happen if it took over the mind? That interest grew stronger in college.

_January 12th, 2010._

-Tuesday night-

Kida-sensei sat in Womb, frowning. He never could figure out why these places were so popular. The middle-aged man sneered at Japan's youth culture of today. _Damn Western culture_, he thought. _It ruins everything!_ Kida-sensei preferred the good old days, thank you. So why was the college professor in a trendy nightclub? Kida-sensei was meeting someone.

The man looked at his watch. 10 p.m. already and he sighed to himself. _She's late… again_, Kida- sensei thought. She always did this.

"Hyobe!" a girl's voice chirped. The professor looked up in the dancing crowd. Ai flounced towards him. She blended in with the trendy atmosphere in her long, bright orange skirt and matching sweater. _Finally_, he thought.

"Hey," she said. Kida-sensei took a sip of his beer.

"You're late," he said. Ai giggled and gave him a little pout.

"Aww come on, sensei," she said. "Loosen up! Don't be so serious all the time."

"But I have to," he said.

"Why?" Ai asked. Kida-sensei smiled at her.

"Let me show you," he answered. The old man patted his lap. The girl smiled and sat down. Kida-sensei chuckled as she nuzzled his neck.

"Okay," he said. "What is it now?" Ai brushed her eyelashes against his cheek.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Come on now," he whispered. "You only call me out here when you want something big. Okay, what is it?" Ai nuzzled him on the neck.

"Give me more supplies," she whispered. The professor eyed her.

"What?" he asked.

"Please?" she pleaded.

"We can't keep doing this," he whispered with a sigh.

"But the experiment was a success!"

"Was it?"

"Didn't you see the news?"

Kida-sensei frowned. "That's the thing. If you get caught, we all go down."

"But we won't."

"How can you be certain?"

Ai kissed him on the cheek. "Do you believe in me?"

Kida-sensei glanced away. "Ai-chan…"

"Come on Hyobe-kun," she whispered as she nuzzled his ear lobe. "Do you believe in me?"

"Ai-chan…" he mumbled. She turned his face to hers. Deep indigo eyes stabbed him in the heart once more.

"Do you believe in me?" she asked again. His lower lip trembled.

"Yes," he said, defeated.

"Then give me more supplies," Ai whispered with a smile. "We won't get caught, trust me." Kida-sensei swallowed as he nodded. Ai leaned in close to his face.

"Good, now will you get in the supplies?" she whispered. Hyobe breathed a low sigh.

"Fine," he said. Ai's peach lips curved into a smile.

"Thank you," she whispered. She kissed him on the lips. "See you tomorrow tonight." The junior smiled and walked away. Kida-sensei sat there, blinking. He shook his head.

_This has to stop… _Kida-sensei pulled out his phone and made the call.


	10. Insight

_Chapter Ten: Insight:_

Tsuzuki and Hisoka got to work the next morning. First stop? None other than Tokyo University. The classes had just started back up for the semester. Tsuzuki and Hisoka went straight to the students.

"They were good people."

"I've seen her around."

"She's in my class; both of them are."

"I know them."

"Okay," Tsuzuki said. "Do you know their names?"

"His name was Isao. I can't remember his last name."

"And the girl?" Hisoka asked. The students tried their best to remember the other victim.

"No."

"I can't remember."

"Nope."

"No."

"I don't remember." The shinigami didn't get anywhere with their lack of information until three in the afternoon.

"Yes, I know them both," a history major replied. The shinigami's attention lit up.

"Who were they?" Tsuzuki asked. The girl pushed back her black hair.

"He was Gensai Isao. He transferred here six months ago," she said.

"And the girl?" Hisoka asked.

"That was my roommate, Kang Arisu," the history major, Fumi, explained.

"So she's Korean?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Half," Fumi said at her dorm doorway. "Long story."

"What was she like?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Whew," Fumi answered. "Shy, she didn't talk much. Just stayed in her room and studied after classes."

_Sounds like Anna-chan_, the older shinigami thought.

"What was she doing at that party on New Year's?" Hisoka asked. Fumi's eyes dimmed at his question.

"That's all my fault," she mumbled.

"What?" he asked. Fumi shook her head.

"I pushed her to go out," she said. "I wanted her to make new friends, get out a little more, be normal really." The freshman sighed. Tsuzuki patted her on the shoulder.

"It's not your fault," he whispered. "You just wanted to help out. It's okay."

"What about Isao-kun?" Hisoka cut in. "Were he and Arisu-san…" Fumi quickly shook her head.

"Oh no, no, no," she said. "Nothing like that. They weren't dating. They didn't hang out in the same social circles together."

"They didn't?" Tsuzuki asked.

"No," she said. "He was a biology major and Arisu was an education major."

"I see…" Hisoka said. Two victims with no connections what so ever. There didn't seem to be any passion or malice present either.

"Anything else?" Hisoka asked.

"About what?" Fumi asked.

"Arisu or Isao," he said. "Think really hard." The history major dug in her brain for any significant.

"Now that you mention it," she said. "Isao was participating in some sort of a study to make some extra money." The boys eyed her with heightened intent.

"What study?" Tsuzuki asked.

"He came by this hall handing out fliers for it," she explained. "Hang on." Fumi walked into her dorm. When she returned, she handed them a wrinkled orange flyer.

"Experiment in the science hall building," Tsuzuki read. "Participants get 1,000 yen a piece." Suddenly, the case built up in a different direction.


	11. Emiko's Past

_Chapter Eleven: Emiko's Past:_

_August 13th, 1960._

Emiko ate without complaints. Today's menu consisted of roasted lamb, fresh rice balls, roasted eel, toasted seaweed, grilled vegetables, and fresh apan. Her new friend brought her the good stuff here. Emiko paused over her eel. Come to think of it, Sumire did look kind of cute.

The other woman watched her eat. Her hand fidgeted in her lap. The sound of morning crane filled the air behind them in their field.

"I hope everything's to your liking," she said.

"Yeah," Emiko said. "I'm just happy to have real food for a change."

"Real food?" Sumire asked.

"Yeah!" the butch demon said. "The meals I usually got were dry and bland."

"Usually?" Sumire asked. "Where did you come from?" Emiko paused with a rice ball in her hand. _Should I tell her the truth? Can I trust her?_ Emiko studied Sumire's face narrowed eyes. She looked trustworthy, but it could be a trap. Emiko smirked.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said. Sumire blinked at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked. The butch demon sat back.

"Who are you really?" she asked. "Where did you come from? Why are you being so nice to me?" The other woman shrugged.

"I'm Sumire," she said. "I just thought you needed a little help out here." Emiko raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yes," Sumire insisted. Emiko pondered this her reply.

"I'm on the run," she admitted. "That's all I can tell you right now." Sumire opened her mouth to speak, but Emiko held up her hand.

"At!" she said. "That's all I'm saying." The butch demon noticed her new friend pouting at her. She sighed aloud.

"Okay, I'll make a bargain with you," Emiko said. "Each day, we will exchange information while I try to figure out what to do next. You tell me about yourself and I will do the same. Deal?" Sumire gave her a little smile.

"Deal!" she said.

_January 8th, 2010._

Emiko paced around in the hall, panting. She shook her head hard_. Get a whole of yourself! You can't let the past interfere! Not yet! Get through this first and then get on with life!_ Emiko drew in another breath. "Right," she mumbled. The butch demon turned and walked back into the dining room. The other demons waited for her.

"What?" their leader asked. Hotaru's hands trembled.

"Emiko-sama," she spoke up. "Is something wrong?" Her girlfriend eyed her.

"What?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"Why are we doing this again?" Hoto-chan asked. "Please don't lie. I won't get mad. I promise!" Emiko lowered her gaze.

"I…" she began. "I made a promise to someone… years ago…"

"Who?" Hotaru asked. Her girlfriend felt her heartache. She didn't want to tell the truth, not like this. Too late now. Emiko lifted her head.

"Sumire," she mumbled. Her girlfriend gave her a strange look.

"Who?" she asked.

"Sumire…"

"Who?"

Emiko's face turned bright red as she balled her fists. "Sumire! Sumire! Sumire-chan!"

Hotaru's mind went into a tailspin. "Who's Sumire?!"

"She was my lover," she said. Hotaru broke down in tears as she ran out of the living room. Mike and Kazue turned to Emiko. The butch demon lowered her head. That was only one flap and more still needed to be unfolded. Her heart ripped in her chest.


	12. Setting Sun

_Chapter Twelve: Setting Sun:_

Speed.

Her heart sailed up higher through speed and blinding colors. She could already feel it coursing through her veins. The needle went in seventy-two hours ago and the effects had just started to kick in.

_Oh, my head!_ The pain surged for the eighth time this weekend. She needed to act, but what was left? She practically ate herself to death and nearly drowned in alcohol on Friday. Every guy in Tokyo knew her between the sheets on Saturday. She couldn't remember how many fights she got into over the weekend. Where did it end?

_No! Not again! Not now!_ The city around her sounded underwater as she trembled. The pain built up brick by brick. _I have to do something!_ She looked around her. The sound of her heart beating rang up to her eardrums. She swallowed hard. No one notices a thing; they were too busy with their new year. Their chatter pissed her off.

_Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I hate you all!_ The pain dulled into rage and not a normal anger she felt in the past. This had been cranked up by a hundred, no, a thousand. She gritted her teeth. _I can't take this!_ She clenched her fists into balls.

"Everyone shut up!" she cried. "Shut up! Shut up! Everyone fucking shut up!" All eyes fell upon her with laughter. She gritted her teeth. _They're laughing at me. All of them!_

"Stop laughing at me!" she yelled. "Stop it! Stop it! I hate you all!" A small hand tugged on her jeans. She looked down with evil eyes.

"What?" she snapped. A nervous little boy stared at her.

"I can't find my mommy," he said, trying to stay calm. The final thread snapped.

No one could move in time. She raised her hand, he screamed, more punches followed, and everyone watched on horrified while a handful tried to break up the attack. She screamed at him. Many pairs of feet trampled the ground. The fallen people got stepped on. Shots rang out. More blood filled Tokyo.

That was the second test subject to meet her end during the experiment.


	13. Peach Honey

_Chapter Thirteen: Peach Honey:_

Shichiro slept soundly in his bed. Amaya stroked his cheek as her hair swept his pillow. _Poor baby_, she thought. She kissed him on the ear. A soft breath caressed her nape before she could sit up. The wife closed her eyes.

"Mmm," she murmured. Kohaku licked her on the nape.

"You taste good," the kitsune whispered. It kissed her on the nape as it groped her breasts. Amaya moaned at the touch.

"You sure this is okay?" she whispered. Kohaku smirked at such a question.

"We both know the answer to that one," it said.

"Really?" she asked. Kohaku kissed her neck.

"Yep. I know you."

"Yes. Yes, you do."

Kohaku bit on her shoulder. "What do you want from me for tonight?" Amaya turned to her husband's kitsune.

"Entertain me," she commanded. Kohaku smiled at her.

"I only obey the master," it said. Amaya gave it a little pout.

"Please?" she whimpered. She nuzzled it on the brown-silver ear. Kohaku lowered its ears with rosy cheeks.

"Well…" it said. Amber eyes turned to the wife.

"Will it benefit him?" Kohaku asked.

"Yes," Amaya answered in a half-lie. Both know what the real answer was, but Kohaku enjoyed it.

"Already," the kitsune said. "Lie down." Amaya complied with a smirk upon her round face. Kohaku took form into a nineteen-year-old boy. "He" lay down on top of the woman. Amaya pressed her lips together, trying not to giggle. Kohaku slid off her nightgown. Amaya stared up at "him" with waiting eyes. The kitsune kissed her and she automatically kissed him back. "His" hands glided down to her hips. "He" found Amaya's lacy black panties and rolled them off. Kohaku nuzzled her neck.

"What are you doing?" Amaya whispered.

"I want you to spread your legs," "he" whispered. The wife happily did so as Kohaku kissed her again. Amaya followed his lead. The kitsune slid himself inside of her.

Why does he do this? Hunger? Boredom? For Kohaku, it was curiosity. Amaya interested him. Beautiful, but twisted, warm, but cold; she owned her husband. She owned him like a little bitch, but Shichiro didn't mind it.

_Easy to see why_, Kohaku thought. He gave off a throaty moan.

"You're so good," he whispered. Amaya only moaned back. She tightly shut her eyes as she readied herself for the big finish. Kohaku took that as a personal invitation for more. Shichiro lay sound asleep whole time.


	14. Valentine Ghost

_Chapter Fourteen: Valentine Ghost:_

_August 14th, 1960._

"Tell me about yourself," Emiko said in their field behind Heaven and Hell. Sumire watched her eat her lunch.

"Well, I died in the Kobe firebombing in World War II," she said. The butch demon paused over her soy sauce coated rice.

"You were?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sumire said. "I was visiting my grandmother at the time. I didn't even see it coming. I remember a flash and boom." She threw up her hands for emphasis. "Everything was gone; all I saw was the foundations of buildings."

"Wow," Emiko murmured in a low voice. "That really is Hell." Sumire tried to make herself smile again.

"What about you?" she asked. Emiko lowered her chopsticks with a little smile.

"Well, my life's not as interesting," she said. "I was in a Catholic school for most of my life."

"Catholic school?" Sumire asked.

"Yeah," the butch demon said. "It wasn't that great. I didn't really fit in."

"Why?" the other woman asked. Emiko held up her hand.

"Ent," she cut in. "To be continued."

"But…" Sumire spoke up.

"To be continued," Emiko said. The other woman opened her mouth to speak.

"To be continued," the butch demon said. Sumire reluctantly closed her mouth.

"Good girl," Emiko told her with a smile. The other woman gave her a blank stare.

_January 8th, 2010._

Emiko walked outside to the backyard. Hotaru stood near the fence in tears. The butch demon tried to come up with a way to smooth things over as she walked over to her lover.

"So this is where you went," she spoke up. Hotaru didn't turn around.

"Come on!" Emiko said, walking forward. "Everyone's waiting inside." The lack of response of made things harder.

"Baby?" the butch demon asked.

"Stay away!" Hotaru cried. Her girlfriend stopped in her tracks.

"Hoto-chan?" she asked. Hotaru didn't turn around as she clutched onto the fence.

"This is all for her?!" she cried. Emiko clenched her fists.

"I made a promise," she said.

"But you used us, you used me!"

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

Emiko closed her mouth. The truth would make no sense to her no matter how hard she tried to put it in words. Hotaru whipped around to her with big, teary eyes.

"Do you love her more than me?" she asked.

"No!" Emiko yelled. "It's just…"

"Just what?" the loli demon asked. Her girlfriend gritted her teeth.

"I love you both!" she declared. "I love you both, equally." Hotaru choked back her tears, sobbing.

"Did you enjoy fucking her better?" she whimpered. Emiko tilted her head at her.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Did you enjoy fucking her better?" the loli demon asked. "Please don't lie to me."

"I never slept with her," Emiko said.

"You promise?" Hotaru asked. Her girl nodded.

"Yes," she answered. The loli demon gave her a little smile as she wiped away the tears from her face.

"Good," she said. "That's all I wanted to know." She walked past her girlfriend with a forced smile on her pale face. Emiko stood silent and bit her lower lip. _Oh, __this isn't over yet…_


	15. Whisper a Little Lullaby to Me

_Chapter Fifteen: Whisper a Little Lullaby to Me:_

_7:00 p.m., Kimoto Manor._

Tsuzuki managed to sneak away to visit Anna tonight. "Go check on her" as he called it. He snuck into Anna's room and found her waiting as she sat on the futon. Tsuzuki smiled at the doorway.

"Been up waiting for me?" he asked. Anna smiled at him.

"That depends," she said.

"On what?" her fiancé asked. She shifted around in place.

"Why are you here?" the woman asked. Tsuzuki stood up straight in the doorway.

"I came to check on you," he lied. Anna shook her head.

"No," she said. "That's not why you're here."

"Okay," he said. Anna leaned in closer.

"Why are you really here?" she asked.

"I came to see you," Tsuzuki said, chuckling.

"And?"

Tsuzuki tried to keep a poker face. "Make love to you." His lover brushed her hair behind her right ear.

"Good answer," she said. Tsuzuki slid the door closed behind him and walked over to the futon. He knelt down in front of her, giving her a gentle kiss. Anna kissed back as her fiancé gently pushed her back onto the futon. His lips lightly brushed her left ear.

"We have to be really quiet," he whispered. "We can't wake them up, can we?" Anna shook her head. Tsuzuki gave her a naughty little smile as he brushed her bangs from her eyes.

"Good girl," he whispered. The shinigami kissed her on the throat. Anna softly whimpered. She reached up and slid off his jacket. The woman wasted no time unbuttoning his shirt. Tsuzuki let her slide it off of him. Anna put up her arms as he rolled off her red and white blossom PJ top. A little bit of drool escaped from Tsuzuki's mouth as he eyed her plump, well-rounded breasts. Her hard nipples flirted with him.

"Beautiful," the shinigami whispered. His breath grew heavy. The feeling of his member stirring awake drove him to unzip his trousers. Tsuzuki rolled off his boxers and threw them out. Tsuzuki softly chuckled as Anna slowly spread her legs for him.

"Hold on," he whispered. "It's coming." He pulled down her red and white bottoms. Tsuzuki nuzzled her on the neck as his fingers found Anna's lacy white panties. He played with the lace before sliding them off. Tsuzuki let his fingers stray down to her soaked lips.

_The young man awoke in the misty wilderness after chasing his red-haired river nymph. He found himself lying in the tall grass in front of a warm, foggy lake. The pine trees blocked out the sun in the cooling mist. Two cranes took flight across the dim morning sky. The young man looked around. _Where did she go? _The lad paused when he heard singing._

Who is that? _Curious, he crawled through the tall, wet grass. The lad peeked over the tips. A young woman lay on her back, singing an old forgotten folk song of innocent youth. Her soft, airy voice put most songbirds to shame. The damp reeds blended in with her long, silk black hair. Her pomegranate red lips begged for a kiss. Her open white dress revealed her plump chest. The young lad blushed._

_Suddenly, she stopped. The young man noticed a pair of greenish-brown eyes staring up at him. His heart stopped in his chest._

_"Hi…" he mumbled. The maiden smiled at him._

_"Good morning dear," she whispered. That sentence alone switched on something in his brain. He himself couldn't piece it together. The girl reached up and caressed his cheek._

_"Kiss me," she commanded. His knees would not bend. Yet, his mind wasn't in control. Her lips felt like fresh lotus petals. He could not give himself to her. Yet, she drew him in deeper._

_A cold draw woke up his senses. He opened his eyes and looked around. Dark warm water surrounded his body. Fear and excitement intertwined with each other before him. A figure lit up inches from his young body. The light took form into a woman. The bubbles danced around her curves. The woman drew open her eyes. The young man's heart leapt in joy._ You found me! You actually found me!

_She didn't speak. His nymph emerged from the lake like the naked Venus being born in the sea. He floated in the water enamored with her._

Tsuzuki used Anna's breasts as a pillow to guide him to more erotic dreams about her to tide him over until their next date.


	16. Storyteller

_Chapter Sixteen: Storyteller:_

-Emiko-

I have truly loved one other woman than Hoto-chan, Sumire. I don't want one over the other. I love them both equally, but I can only have one.

-Outside-

Emiko opened the bedroom door a crack. "Hoto-chan?" she whispered. "Are you asleep?" Hotaru didn't answer. The butch demon swallowed as she went inside. _She's still upset_, Emiko thought. The butch demon scanned the dark room.

"Hoto-chan?" she whispered. "You here? Hoto-chan? Hoto-chan?"

"I'm here," the loli demon whispered. Emiko relaxed some.

"Oh good," she said.

"I'm still mad at you."

"I know." Emiko walked over to the bed. "I love you both."

"I don't want that."

"I can't help it. I can't control my feelings," the butch demon reasoned. Hotaru turned away from her as her girlfriend sighed.

"I never cheated on you." Emiko lowered her head. "I couldn't," she said. Hotaru eyed her.

"Why?" she asked. Emiko lowered her shoulders.

"I'm a demon," she said.

"So?" Hotaru asked. "Hasn't stopped you before."

Emiko shook her head with a pale face. "No. I am a demon."

"So?" The gravity of the explanation took about a minute for Hotaru to get it. "Unless…" She stared at her girlfriend. "Was she…?" Emiko pressed her lips together as she nodded.

"Yes," she mumbled.

"Oh…" Hotaru murmured. She leaned forward, intently. "Then…why do you love me?"

"I can have you," Emiko explained. "I can touch you, kiss you, and love you like can't with Sumire-chan." Hotaru frowned at her.

"So what am I to you?" she asked. "A stand-in?"

"No!" Emiko said. "That's not it!"

"Then what?" Hotaru growled. The butch demon sighed.

"Come on," she said. "What do I have to prove it to you?" Hotaru leaned forward.

"Tell me a story," she said. Emiko blinked at her.

"What story?" she asked.

"About Tsuzuki and Anna," she said. "When they make love." _Oh crap_, Emiko thought. _It's that bad for me to bring Anna into this for foreplay._ She drew in a breath before letting off a nervous laugh. _Okay..._ Emiko climbed onto the bed and sat down in front of her lover.

"Tsuzuki will sneak into Anna-chan's room at night," she began. "He'll greet her with a kiss."

"How?" Hotaru asked.

"What?"

"How do they kiss? Show me." The butch demon could feel her heart stop. _Oh, she wants the big guns tonight._

"Alright," she said. "Close your eyes."

"Why?" Hotaru asked.

"Just do it."

"Fine." The loli demon drew her eyes closed. Her lips tempted Emiko to kiss them. The butch demon leaned forward and gave Hotaru a deep yet gentle kiss. _Heh, this could be okay tonight._ The couple pulled away. Hotaru looked at her emotionlessly.

"What happens next?" she asked. Emiko reached forward and unbuttoned her top.

"Let me show you," she whispered. She kissed Hoto-chan again. The loli demon kissed her back as she pulled Emiko down on the bed with her. She groped her small breasts under her shirt. Emiko pushed her tongue into her mouth as her hand went down her PJ pants and underwear. Hotaru moaned in her mouth.

-Emiko-

_I love Hotaru-chan and Sumire-chan, but yet I can only touch Hoto-chan. I can't explain it to her in words. I don't expect her to understand, but I cannot change how I feel. I cannot change how I feel about my lovers._


	17. Second Round

_Chapter Seventeen: Second Round:_

The next morning, the next round of experiments began. Ai and Yu headed to the nearest high school. She was confident about this, but he…

Ai turned and glanced at him. "You look nervous."

Yu shook his head. "No…"

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah… Okay, maybe a little."

"What for?"

"Well…" Yu tried to form his words to the best of his ability. Ai held his wrist. His eyes trailed towards her. She smirked at him.

"If you're worried we'll get caught, don't," she whispered. "It'll be okay."

"How?" Yu whispered back. She nuzzled his neck.

"There, there," Ai replied. "I've got it. Just take it easy." Yu drew his mouth closed. She won't listen. Once Ai had plotted something, that's it. She'll do it or everyone else suffers. Yu dropped his shoulders.

"Fine," he sighed. Ai smiled at him.

"Good boy," she said. She patted him on the back. Yu shuddered at the touch.

"Please don't touch me," he mumbled. Ai didn't listen as she drew in a deep breath.

"Right," she said. Ai walked into the building. Yu shook his head. _I don't like where this is headed_, he thought. She won't listen anyway; best to humor her for now. Yu followed close behind.

Ai had it all worked out. The supplies came in early this morning. She got the boys straight away to work. This mid-morning, the team was ready. First round? Ai turned to Yu.

"You get the first floor and I'll get the second," she said. Her colleague nodded.

"Right," he said. Each one selected six students, two from each age group. The teachers didn't trust them. Ai did her best to charm through them.

"We have permission from the school," she lied.

"Do you have the paperwork?" one teacher asked. Ai showed them the form. Good enough for the teacher to back off for the time being. Both Todai students prepared the shots.

"I'm scared of needles," a freshman said.

"Shhh," Yu said. "It'll be okay." She looked at him with big eyes.

"You promise?" she asked. Yu nodded as he forced himself to smile.

"Yes," he lied. "I promise."

"Okay," the freshman said with a smile on her face. Yu could feel his dignity die again as he rolled up her sleeve and injected her. _I'm so sorry._

This is the arm of the girl who volunteered  
>Like the college students did<br>For the money offered  
>to carry out the experiments<br>To unlock the id in the human brain


	18. Blood Test

_Chapter Eighteen: Blood Test:_

_July 7th, 1990._

The city clinic in Kobe, Japan opened for the day. Daisuke walked in as his eyes shifted around. Not many people around the waiting room, but he still felt judged.

_They can smell that woman on me!_ Thinking about his mother angered him all over again. The flames danced in his eyes as he could feel his heart pounded up to his throat. The young man closed his eyes and breathed in short circles.

_Don't let her break you down again_, he thought. _You are not her toy anymore. Don't do this crap again._ Daisuke drew his eyes open again. The smell of disinfectant filled his nose.

"Excuse me mister," someone spoke up. Daisuke jerked his head upwards to see a young nurse staring straight at him. She looked a bit younger than him. Daisuke blankly eyed her.

"Huh?" he asked. "Are… you a nurse here?"

"Yes," the girl said. "Well… actually, I'm shadowing a nurse for the summer." Daisuke nodded with a puzzled face.

"Okay…" he mumbled.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Sure!" the young man blurted out. "I need a…"

"What?" the young nurse asked.

"A blood test," he forced out. The nurse eyed him.

"Okay," she said. "May I ask the purpose of this test?" Daisuke felt his face burn.

"Can I talk to a doctor?" he asked. "You're not helping." The nurse frowned at him.

"You don't have to be so rude," the girl said.

"Sorry!" he said. The girl calmed down.

"Right," she said. The young nurse turned to leave. Daisuke tried to keep it together. _She's just a kid. Don't take out your frustration on her._ "Hey!" he spoke up. The nurse stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

"Yes?" she asked. Daisuke swallowed his pride.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just a bit stressed out at the moment." The nurse didn't blink.

"Okay…" she said. Daisuke shuffled his feet.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Nancy," the nurse said. "Ikeda Nancy." Daisuke gave her a little smile.

"I'm Kimoto Daisuke," he said.

_January 9th, 2010._

Watari set two packets down on his desk. One had the blood sample of the Todai guinea pigs. The other was Daisuke's blood results. Yesterday, Tsuzuki came to him with both.

"What are these?" his friend asked.

"I need you to test the sample here," Tsuzuki said as he handed him the smaller packet.

"Does it pertain to the case?" the blonde scientist asked.

"Yes," Tsuzuki said.

"And the other packet there?"

The other shinigami felt a cold chill go up his spine as he hesitated. "Daisuke's blood test results."

Watari blinked at him. "Why do you have these?"

"Anna got them from Nancy before she died."

"Oh…" Both remembered how that came about. Because of Anna's "job" that night, a woman ended up dead at the hands of an escaped soul. As a result, everyone at Ju-Oh-Cho gave him dirty looks. Despite not talking to her about it, he and Anna didn't want to think about the punishment to come.

"Did they decide what to do with her?" Watari asked. Tsuzuki shook his head.

"She won't tell me," he said.

"And what do you want with the results?" Watari asked.

"What do they say?" Tsuzuki asked. "Please do the blood test first." Watari gave him a weary look.

"What?" Tsuzuki asked.

"You're starting to make the Eda-Kimoto case personal," he said. The other shinigami frowned.

"You're sounding like Hisoka," he mumbled. "Just get the results."

"Alright," Watari said, shrugging. Now, here he was setting up with work. To him, half of it didn't feel right.

_Tsuzuki, you're letting this get to you_, he thought. However, Watari had his own motives. He was curious about Anna's kitsune as well. Maybe, Daisuke's blood results could provide some much desired insight. But first…

"I have to run the Todai blood," the blonde scientist said.

Meanwhile at Haruka's house, the kitsune came together to talk.

"Can you hear her?" Aki asked.

"Yes," the others said.

"She's calling us," Shiroko whispered. "Mother is calling us."

"More like killing us," Kohaku said. "What do we do?"

"Killing us?" Yayoi, Nobu's kitsune, asked.

"Yeah!" Kohaku forced out. "I'm hurting more than ever lately."

"Are you in pain now?" Shiroko asked.

"A little," it said. Shichiro's kitsune took in heavy breaths. Shiroko stroked its back.

"Take in smaller breaths," she whispered. Kohaku nodded through slower breaths. That's when Shiroko remembered something.

"Hey guys," she said. "Have you been feeling a bit strange lately?"

"No," the other two kitsune said. However, another thought came into their minds.

"Now that you mention it," Aki spoke up. "I haven't felt hungry for souls lately."

"Neither have I," Yayoi said.

"See?" Kohaku croaked. "Mother is trying to kill her children!"

"You're going too far with that accusation!" Aki declared.

"But what if it's right?" Yayoi asked. Yasuo's kitsune closed his mouth. They all looked at Shiroko.

"If that is the case, what do we do?" Aki asked. "It's not like we have any true ties to Haruka's family, right? Right?" The others didn't speak as Shiroko shrugged.

"Stay until the end," she said. "If we die, then so be it. It'll be our mother's will."

Meanwhile in the lab, Watari's search and test turned up stunning results.

"No way!" he gasped. The blonde scientist picked up his phone and dialed Tsuzuki's number.

"Oh good, Tsuzuki. I'm so glad I caught you," he said. "You're gonna need to hear this!"


	19. ShackUp Plan

_Chapter Nineteen: Shack-Up Plan:_

At three in the morning, Tsuzuki had a crazy idea. He spent until sunrise putting it together. The shinigami awaited his love's awakening. He reached forward and touched her cheek. He loved their future together already; just needed to work out the kinks. Right then, Anna slowly fluttered her eyes open. Tsuzuki gave her a little smile.

"Let's move in together," he said. Anna's eyes shot wide open.

"What?" she said. Tsuzuki smiled and took her hands.

"We should move in together," he repeated. Her fiancé smiled as Anna struggled to speak.

"I mean, we should," he said. "We are getting married soon." Anna blinked at him.

"But…" she said. Tsuzuki gave her a little pout.

"Please?" he pleaded with a whimper.

"But where would we live?" she asked.

"Here, I guess," Tsuzuki suggested, shrugging. Anna shook her head.

"No," she said. Tsuzuki frowned.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Not enough space," she said. "Rihoko and Yoko-chan already live here. Then there's Seita. We would be too much."

"Okay," Tsuzuki said. "We'll move in my place." Anna sat up in the futon.

"Is it big enough for us both?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tsuzuki answered.

"But what about Kobe?" his fiancée asked. "Is your apartment even pet friendly? Can I even go to Meifu? I'm not really dead."

"Yeah," he insisted. "You can stay in Meifu because you have the core inside of you. And my place can take your dog as well."

"I hope so," Anna said. "I'm not going anywhere without my dog!"

"I know," Tsuzuki said. He lifted his head at her. "Don't you want to move in with me?"

"Well… yeah, but…" Anna said.

"But?" Tsuzuki asked.

"This is all so sudden," she said. "We haven't even planned our wedding yet. Your coworkers still don't know and it's early in the morning."

"Yeah," Tsuzuki replied. "It got your attention, didn't it?" Anna gave him a blank stare.

"Uh…" she said. Tsuzuki held her hand.

"So what do you say?" he asked. Anna bit her lower lip.

"I need to take a shower!" she said in one breath. The woman leapt out of bed and raced to the bathroom. Tsuzuki lay there smiling. _Give her a moment_, he thought. _Maybe I should sneak some of her things into my apartment._ His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. Tsuzuki smiled to himself. _I know, I know, Hisoka-kun_, he thought. _I'm coming. I'm coming._ The shinigami picked up his phone.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Oh good, Tsuzuki. I'm so glad I caught you," Watari said on the other line. "You're gonna need to hear this!" Tsuzuki quickly sat up in the futon.

"Watari?" he asked. "What is it? What did you find?"

"You'll have to come down and see it!" the blonde scientist said.

"I'll be right there!" the other shinigami said. He heard footsteps as he hung up.

"Who was that?" someone asked. Tsuzuki looked up and saw Anna standing in the doorway in a towel.

"Oh," her fiancé said. "Just some work." Tsuzuki climbed out of bed and got dressed.

"You leaving?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," Tsuzuki replied. "As for my offer to move in, you have one day to think about it."

"But…" she said.

"One day," he said. "See you tonight." Tsuzuki blew her a little kiss and vanished with a little treasure of hers. He's confident that she'll say yes, but just to give the deal a stronger push, he'll give her time to think. Anna blinked at him confused.


	20. Bloody Ties

_Chapter Twenty: Bloody Ties:_

Tsuzuki made it back to Ju-Oh-Cho quickly. He went straight to Watari's lab. His friend waited for him with a smile.

"What do you have for me?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Which do you want first?" Watari asked.

"The Todai blood sample," Tsuzuki whispered.

"Good choice," his friend said. Watari pulled up the data on his computer.

"You gave me an interesting find!" he bragged. "Take a look." Tsuzuki gave the screen a puzzled look as he saw all of the data before him.

"What… is that?" he asked.

"Ah!" Watari said. "A virus." Tsuzuki blinked.

"Huh?" Tsuzuki asked, blinking.

"Someone at Todai is injecting the students with a virus," Watari said.

"What does it do?" the other shinigami asked.

Watari pulled up more data. "This virus attaches to the brain, seeks out the id, and takes it over."

"The id?" Tsuzuki asked. "Isn't that basic instinct or something?"

"Yeah."

Tsuzuki drew his mouth closed. "If that happens…"

"Yeah," his pal said. Their faces looked pale as Watari turned to Tsuzuki.

"Want the other results?" he asked. The other shinigami nodded.

"Yes," he said. "Keep looking into that virus."

"Right," Watari said. He picked up Daisuke's blood test results.

"These were to test for seir potential," Watari explained. "I took the liberty of hacking into the Kobe clinic database to get a full understanding of what I was looking at."

"And?" Tsuzuki asked. Watari handed him the folder. The other shinigami read over the results.

"Okay," he said. "What am I looking at?"

"Look at the third, fourth, seventh and tenth markers," Watari said. His friend's eyes widened in shock.

"This is…" he said. Watari nodded.

"Yes," he said. "Anna's father was a match for him to pass on the mother to Anna. But he's not the only one." Tsuzuki looked at his scientist friend.

"He wasn't?" he asked. "Who else?"

"Yasuo and Kirika," Watari replied. Tsuzuki pondered this new information.

"Well Kirika's dead," he said. He turned his attention back to Watari. "Why couldn't Yasuo produce a match?"

"Because he had a son, not a daughter," Watari said.

"Would explain why dad and son didn't get along," Tsuzuki said. They both remembered the Eda-Kimoto curse. Tsuzuki bit his lower lip. He was marrying into a headache that kept growing with new information.

"Thank you," he said.

"Anything else?" Watari asked. Tsuzuki shook his head.

"No," he said. "I'll let Hisoka know what you found." He walked out of the lab.

"I'll keep looking up about the virus!" Watari shouted as the door slid closed.


	21. Date Night

_Chapter Twenty-One: Date Night:_

Stella met Mike at the end of his driveway around six o'clock. She gave him a little smile.

"So where to?" Stella asked. Mike shrugged.

"Where ever," he said. She looked at him funny.

"Not very romantic, are you?" she joked.

"Hey, I'm old," he said with a cigarette in his mouth. Stella stuck out her tongue.

"No!" she said.

"Yes, yes," Mike replied. "I am." Stella smiled at him.

"Let's talk about this in a warmer place," she said.

"Sure," her date replied. They went to the nearest bar. Mike paid for both drinks. The pair tuned out the pounding music around them. Stella turned to him with her cigarette in hand.

"So tell me," she said. "I know how I got to Japan. But what about you? How was an American demon in a Japanese Hell?" Mike lit up his second cig.

"Ah, some paperwork got mixed up," he said.

"And it never got fixed?"

"Nope."

"Oh…"

"Yeah." Mike took another puff. "But, not too bad though."

Stella eyed him. "Oh? How so?"

"I got to meet Emiko, Hotaru, and Kazue. Sure, they drive me nuts, but that's their job." He turned to Stella. "And you?"

Stella turned her head to face him. "What about me?"

Mike gave her a little smile. "Why are you here? In Japan, I mean."

Stella sat back eyeing the ceiling. "Ah, that."

"Yeah that."

She let out a little chuckle. "Whew! Where to begin? Well, there was a man."

Mike leaned in, intently. "A man? What about him?"

She tossed back her head. "I was young and stupid. Met him in New York. It just kind of happened, you know?"

"Okay… and then what happened?"

Stella sighed. "My parents hated him."

"Why?"

She pressed her lips together. "I'm a wolf demon."

"Okay… so?"

"He's… whew-wee." Stella looked around before leaning into Mike's ear. The truth only took three words to say. He gave her a funny look.

"How was that even possible?" he asked. Stella shrugged.

"Like I said," she said. "It just happened. One day, he invited me to Japan. I said yes without a thought." She curled her fingers around her cigarette as she flicked out the ashes. "My parents cut me off. They fucking cut me off, man. I didn't care; I was dumb and in love."

"Let me guess," Mike said. "It didn't turn out well." Stella shook her head.

"The worst!" she said.

"Want to talk about something else?" he asked.

"Yeah." Stella remembered her previous curiosity. "Say, how old are you really, Mike?"

He let out a nervous laugh. "Back to that again, huh?"

"Come on! You can tell me!"

"Why are you so interested in my age?"

"Just cause."

"Just cause why?"

"You said you were old and now I have to know."

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah."

Mike flicked out his cigarette in the ashtray on the bar. "Fine. I died in '69."

"Okay, what year were you born?"

"1941."

Stella's jaw dropped. "Wow! So you were twenty-eight when you died."

Mike's face went grim. "Yep."

"And you're in your sixties now?"

"Please don't remind me."

Stella chuckled. "Alright." This felt nice for a change. No rush, no pounding; just two adults talking. Maybe something could happen. Mike glanced at his date.

"Hey Stel," he said.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You want to get out of here?"

"Why?"

"Too noisy."

"And go where?"

Mike shrugged. "Anywhere, anywhere quiet."

Stella gave him a little smirk. "Why do you want to go to a quiet place?"

"Felt like it."

She repressed a snicker. "Oh! I see. Naughty boy!"

"What?"

"You know what!"

"Geez. Must everything be sexual for you and Lucy?"

"Well, do you want sex or not?"

"Maybe… Depends!"

"Depends? On what?"

Mike took hold of her wrist. "On where this date will go."

Stella gave him a little smile. "My place or yours?"

"Yours, definitely! I don't want those girls eavesdropping on us!"

Stella laughed. "Fair enough, Fair enough."

"Shall we go now?"

"Hold it, cowboy! Let me finish this smoke!"

"Of course."

Stella gave him a little smirk. "Thanks, man."

Mike gave him a small salute. "Sure." Outside, someone who wanted to give Stella hell watched them.


	22. ReSublimity

_Chapter Twenty-Two: Re-Sublimity:_

Emiko sat up in bed in the early hours of the morning. Hotaru lay asleep next to her. The butch demon remembered how she first met her girlfriend.

_-October 6th, 1966-_

Emiko looked around the wasteland known as Hell. Six whole years and nothing had changed. She reeled back, sneering.

_It stinks here_, Emiko thought. Six years of breathing clean air will do that to a demon, but she had work to do. The smell wasn't keeping her out. Emiko took in a breath and walked forward. Still the same as ever; nine circles of rotting despair. _Now I know why I escaped_, she thought. But, why come back? Chivalry.

_This is for Sumire-chan_, Emiko kept thinking. _This is so we can be together!_ Hell had been corrupt since the Meiji Era. The officials took bribes to punish certain souls. As a result, souls with light sins or "innocents" as Emiko called them, ended up here. Her sexuality placed her in Hell. That would end today.

Emiko looked at the directory guide. All "sins" present and accounted for; same as ever here. _Where to begin?_ She ran finger up and down the chart. The butch demon settled on the second circle. _Heh, lust sounds good._ Emiko straightened up her uniform. Sumire helped her with this.

"Inspection is today," her friend had informed her. "You can get in this way." Emiko said nothing. She secretly enjoyed her angel dressing her. This was as close to intimacy as they would reach.

"What will I do there?" the butch demon asked.

"Just check things out," Sumire said.

"Right," Emiko replied. The women knew this was coming. It hurt them to think about this. Sumire fought back her tears as the butch demon tried to smile.

"Aww, what?" she asked. The other woman looked away.

"Nothing," she lied. Emiko felt sympathy for her. This might be the last time they would see each other for a while. The butch demon lifted Sumire's face.

"Come on," she said. "Don't be like that, I'll be back." Sumire looked at her with big, teary eyes.

"Promise me you will!" she pleaded. "Promise me!" Emiko held up her hands.

"Whoa!" she said. "We keep racking up the promises here!" Sumire pouted at her.

"Please!" she pleaded.

"Okay, okay," Emiko said. "I promise. I really do." Sumire calmed herself down.

"I love you," she murmured.

"I know," Emiko replied.

"Come back to me!" Sumire cried as her demon vanished.

"You have my word!" her love said with a salute.

Emiko walked up to the receptionist booth. A tired and bored Kazue was on shift this morning. Emiko smiled and waved at her.

"Good morning," she said. The gate keeper said nothing. Emiko kept her smile. _Not much of a talking mood, huh?_ "I'm here for the second circle inspection."

Kazue said nothing as she rolled her eyes and unlocked the gate. The butch demon bowed her head.

"Have a good day," she said.

"Whatever," the gate keeper mumbled. Emiko walked away, shrugging. So much fog surrounded the butch demon as she made her way out of the elevator. _I can't see anything! Damn it!_ Emiko used the moans and cries to guide her further in. A heated wind blasted her in the face.

"Ack," she said, nearly falling backwards. She fought to stay vertical and walk forward. The heat stung at her cheeks like needles.

"Damn it!" she hissed. "I'm not turning back now! You can't make me!" A soft murmur caught her ear. Emiko looked up and followed the sound. She came upon a mossy area. Two men were harassing a woman dressed as a sales' clerk. She crouched in the corner of the lobby trembling.

"No! Get away!" she cried over the hollowing winds. One man grabbed at her perky chest.

"Come on, baby!" he said. "You might as well. We're all going to be stuck here forever!"

"No! No!" the woman screamed. The man ripped open her blouse and forcefully kissed her on the lips.

"Come on," the other man said. "You know you want to!" The woman tried to fight his friend off as he walked over to her with his hand aiming for her breasts.

"No! Get off! Get off!" she screamed over and over again. Emiko couldn't take anymore. She stormed over to the woman and her attackers.

"That's enough!" the butch demon snapped. She pushed away the men in one powerful blow. The creeps fell to the ground with a thud. The ugly leader growled at her.

"You!" he snapped. He and his pal charged forward to attack. Emiko smirked at her. _Idiots!_ With one spin-kick, the randy thugs were out cold at her feet. She looked down, shaking her head. _They never learn_, she thought. The butch demon pulled away the woman to safety with one snatch. Emiko didn't stop until they reached the grassy border. Both women sat on the dirt ground. The victim breathed out.

"You okay?" Emiko asked. The woman looked up at her. The butch demon froze as that feeling came again. This woman's soft round face reminded her of Sumire. Emiko found herself lost in those dreamy violet eyes. Emiko ached to kiss those full little lips. Even the woman's full breasts flirted with her. Emiko resisted whispering out Sumire's name with so much love.

"Yeah," the other woman said. "Thank you for saving me!" Emiko smiled as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Heh. I hate pervs like that," she said. The demon suddenly remembered her mission. "Say, why are you here in Hell?" The woman lowered her head.

"I don't want to say…" she mumbled. Emiko gently rubbed her shoulders.

"Don't worry," she murmured. "Take your time if you need to."

The other woman lowered her head. "It was a man."

"Huh?" Emiko asked. The woman looked up at her.

"I fell in love with a man," she explained.

"Okay," her savior said. "So what happened?" The woman's lips trembled before she spoke.

"I used to be a sales clerk in a top-notch department store in Tokyo," she began. "I lived a normal life as a single girl trying to make it on her own. Then, I met this beautiful man. He was shopping around for a gift for an old classmate of his. I helped him and he asked me out for coffee. Well, one thing led to another and we ended up in a two year affair together."

"And things went wrong?" Emiko asked.

"Yep, pretty much," the other woman said.

"So, what happened?"

The woman pressed her lips together tighter. "His wife tricked me into meeting up a love hotel. Then, she beat me to death and left my body there on the floor."

"Men suck," she said.

"Yeah!" the woman agreed. Emiko held out her hand.

"I'm Emiko," she said. The woman hesitated at first.

"H-Hotaru," she replied as she lifted her hand.

_-Present day-_

Emiko smiled to herself, shaking her head. _Well, damn, that's two people I have a promise to keep to. _Still, she didn't really mind it for love.


	23. KidaSensei to Muraki

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Kida-Sensei to Muraki:_

The professor needed a supplier.

_January 17th, 2010._

Kida-sensei walked through an underground bar in Toshima uneasily. These type of bars were worse than the clubs, seedy like the Yakuza. No, even the worst of the Yakuza wouldn't be seen here. The professor's eyes watered at the heavy smoke inside.

_Yuck! I hate smoking. Disgusting!_ He found it worse when women smoked, so unladylike. Kida-sensei shook his head. _No time for social commentary. Just get on with it._ He strengthened his resolve. _Right…_ He came up to the bar. The tender gave him a little smile.

"Professor," he said. "How are you tonight?" Kida-sensei looked away.

"Please don't talk to me," he said. "Just the sake."

"Oh! Liquid courage?"

"Just get the drink!" Kida-sensei said.

"Right," The bar poured him a half cup of sake. Kida-sensei drank up, paid the tab, and headed out the back way. Anything to get away from the smoke. The air felt cold and clear. Kida-sensei didn't get time to enjoy. He pushed himself to keep moving. Follow the lights turn left, follow the street, come to the run-down apartment. The professor looked around. He buried his hands in his coat pockets.

"Okay, I'm here!" he said aloud. "Come out, Muraki-san." The doctor in white strolled towards him.

"Good evening," he said.

"Do you have the supplies?" Kida-sensei asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Well, let's see it."

Muraki held up his hand. "Patience. There is something you have to do for me."

"Yes, yes. Name it. I'll do it."

"This can't be undone."

"I don't care! Just name it!"

"Very well." Muraki whispered his request in the professor's ear. Kida-sensei looked at him with big eyes.

"But… But…" he stammered out. The doctor held up his hand.

"That is the agreement," he said. Kida-sensei gritted his teeth.

"Damn," he muttered. "You and her drive hard bargains!"

"Oh, how is your girlfriend by the way?" Muraki asked. Kida-sensei's cheeks reddened.

"It's not like that!" he barked. "Ai-chan's just a student, a student!"

"My apologies."

"Just hand me the supplies!" the professor snapped.

"Alright," Muraki replied. He reached into his coat and pulled out a key card. Kida-sensei's jaw dropped.

"No way," he whispered. "You're giving me…"

"Wait," the doctor said. "This is the most powerful batch yet."

"Okay. So?"

"Oh, just a little warning."

"Whatever. Just give me the card!"

"Ask me nicely."

Kida-sensei snorted. "You're joking, right?" Muraki looked at him, waiting. The professor breathed out.

"Could I please have the key card?" he asked. Muraki handed the card to him. Kida-sensei snatched it right out of his hand.

"What do you say?" the doctor asked.

"Thanks," the professor mumbled. Muraki smirked.

"Good night," he said before he disappeared into the night. Kida-sensei rolled his eyes.


	24. Omen Hunt

_Chapter Twenty-Four: Omen Hunt:_

-Friday Night-

One of the remaining subjects from the high school snuck out for a late night party at the club. She couldn't understand what was happening to her. Five days ago, she received a shot from a couple of students from Todai. They told her it was experiment. Something didn't feel right with the situation, but the college students assured her it would be fine.

The changes occurred on the second night. The student, test subject #7, felt hungry all of the time. No matter how much she ate, it didn't help. Her thirst showed the same pattern. The girl wasn't sure what she heard in her head. Day by day, it got worse. The poor soul just wanted to slow down and chill. A dance club was at the bottom of the list to do that.

On the other side of said club, Tsuzuki and Hisoka sat near the bar, watching. The first attack took place in this atmosphere. Tsuzuki turned to his partner.

"See anything yet?" he whispered. Hisoka shook his head. They focused on the crowd again.

The lab rat took in heavy breaths as she walked through the doors. The buzzing filled her ears again. She shut her eyes to block out the pain, but then she paused.

_What is that?_ The girl sniffed around. _Blood?_ Suddenly, she felt something crawling on her arm. Her darted downwards. Worms moved up and down her skin at rapid speeds. She tried not to scream out. _They're eating my arm!_ Sirens filled her head. _Not again!_ She saw his face as he laughed at her. _Don't open your eyes! Don't open your eyes! Don't open your eyes!_

Tsuzuki noticed a young high school girl standing alone in the crowd. He observed her body language. She kept her eyes shut as if to wish something away as her body. Tsuzuki poked Hisoka in the shoulder.

"Hisoka-kun," he whispered. "Do you see her?"

"Yeah," the younger shinigami whispered.

"What's wrong with her?" Tsuzuki asked. "You don't think she's…"

"We have to see," Hisoka whispered.

"Right," the older shinigami said with a nod.

This time, beetles joined the worms on her arms. She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there. _Get off! Get off! Get off!_ Her nails scrapped the skin leaving blood staining the pink painted tips. She wanted to stop, but the bugs kept coming. Another wave of sirens filled her ears.

_Please stop. Stop! Stop!_ He laughed again. He always mocked her misery and poor choices. _Why can't you leave me alone? What do you want from me? Go away! Go away!_ She kept her eyes closed. That was her only way to protect herself.

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened.

Crash! The victim stumbled in her tracks, yanking her eyes open. She jerked her head up to see a twenty-something guy staring at her. His beer spilt all over her black sweater.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "You're not hurt, are you?" Fear distorted his voice into a twisted, distant animal noise. Her heart raced all the way to her ear drums. Her pupils shrank with terror.

"Are you alright?" the man asked again. The heavy music drowned out her screaming. Tsuzuki and Hisoka sprang into action.

"Think she has the virus?" Tsuzuki asked. Hisoka nodded. The shinigami raced to the victim in the middle of her break down.

Colors raced as she clawed at her arms and neck. The worms and beetles crawled all over her skin. Racing, blinding; the smell of blood flooded her nose.

"Calm down, dono!"

"No! No! No!" Hands reach out to grab the girl.

"Stay away! Stay away!" He laughed at her pain. Spinning. Racing. Running. Running. Running. She tried to get away. The shinigami chased her out of the club.

Snow. Blinding lights. Her arms and neck covered in blood. She had beautiful red flower clips in her hair. The poor child started ripping at her hair and crying. Words became lost from her mouth. She could only make sounds reminiscent of a wounded dying animal fighting in vain to live. Lunacy swallowed up her surroundings.

_Mama! Mama! Mama!_ Her thoughts became jarred. Not a single inch of human remained within her. Her eyes became two black holes. Two bright headlights came towards her in the snowy night. All she saw was a flash of black and then…

Nothing.


	25. Ice Over Hell

_Chapter Twenty-Five: Ice Over Hell:_

She awoke surrounded in pure white. Her head pounded as she felt like she was underwater. The child tried to look around. Her head felt sore, jerky almost. Everything still spun around. She felt the strong urge to vomit all over herself.

_Ugh…_

Outside the two-way mirror, Watari made mental notes.

"What to do think?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Hm," he friend said. "She matches the eye witness descriptions of the previous victims' conditions."

"But?" Hisoka asked.

"I need a blood sample to compare," the blonde scientist explained. "And I can't do that until…" They turned back to the test subject.

The quiet made it worse. She felt like screaming. Her stomach turned again. The girl took in heavier breaths. Her thoughts came out jarred. Screaming wouldn't help. Too weak, too jumbled, not human, more beastly, too beastly.

Watari nodded. "Yeah."

"Is there any way to calm her down?" Tsuzuki asked. Watari shook his head.

"So far, not that easy," he replied. "Sedatives would compromise her blood."

"So… we have to wait until she calms down?" Tsuzuki asked. Watari nodded in discomfort.

"Yeah…" he said.

"Can't we use a spell?" Hisoka asked.

"It's possible," the scientist replied. "But can her body take it?" They all grimly looked at the girl.

The sickness was trapped in her throat. She wanted to puke. Turning. Turning. Turning. The chains on her wrists didn't help. She heaved a throaty sob.

_I want to go home._

Elsewhere, Kohaku watched them all from the sky. The kitsune formed a plan to survive if Shichiro died; one that involved Hisoka. This current case might play in their favor after all. But first…

The door slid wide open. "Kohaku?"


	26. Blinding Lights

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Blinding Lights:_

The kitsune looked up and saw a tired Shichiro stumbling into the darkened living room, panting. Kohaku's soul flew back to the body.

"Master?" it asked. "Master, what's wrong?" The man took in deep breaths. Kohaku observed him for a moment.

_His body's going through another pain_, it thought. It was then the kitsune noticed something else. _What's this? I… I can't feel a thing._ Usually, a kitsune and its handler are one, but when they start to separate, that can mean only one thing. _Is it starting at last? Is Mother killing us now?_ Kohaku shut its eyes. _No! I don't want to die yet. Just give more time. That's all I ask._

"Sweetheart?" Kitsune and master heard. Shichiro looked up and saw Amaya standing in the doorway.

"Baby?" she asked. "What are you doing out of bed?" She raced over to his side. Her husband shook his head.

"Couldn't sleep," he said. Amaya put her arm around him.

"You shouldn't be out of bed in your condition," she said. "You know better!" Shichiro chuckled at her.

"What are you, my doctor?" he whispered.

"I'm your wife," Amaya answered. Shichiro cuddled close to her chest.

"I love you," he said.

"Okay…" his wife said.

Shichiro looked up at her, trembling. "I don't want to die."

"I know."

Tears began to form in his eyes. "What would you do if I did?"

Amaya gave him a peculiar look. "What?"

"Tell me!"

"Shichiro…"

His fingers grabbed onto her nightgown. "Please!"

Amaya's face drained of color. _What was this?_ "Are you… dying?"

"Please!" The tears ran down his cheeks.

Amaya dropped her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't know…"

"Would you still love me if I lost Kohaku?"

"Baby…"

"What if I was a normal human?" Shichiro softly wept against her chest.

Amaya sat there, caught off guard. "Uh… well…" Kohaku's jaw dropped. _What's this? She usually snaps at him to man up._ The kitsune observed the look in her eyes. It tried to understand what was going on. _This is…_

Amaya shook her head hard. "Let's just get you to bed, okay?" Her husband whimpered and nodded against her breasts.

"Right," the woman said. She pulled him to his feet and walked him back to their room. Kohaku watched after them. _What just happened? That didn't feel real to me._ Kohaku shook its head. _Oh, this is not good, not good at all._ It had to execute its plan quickly.


	27. Demon's Work Day

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Demon's Work Day:_

_September 1st, 1960._

"Did you have any dreams growing up?" Sumire asked. Emiko looked over at her in the moss.

"Hm?" she asked.

"Did you have any dreams when you were a kid?" the other woman asked. The butch demon shrugged.

"Maybe…" she replied. Sumire puffed up her cheeks at her.

"What?" Emiko asked.

"You're doing it again!"

"Doing what?"

"You keep giving me the run-around!"

The butch demon gave her an odd look. "Do I?"

"Yes!" her friend shouted. Emiko chuckled. Sumire frowned.

"What?" she complained.

"Okay, okay," Emiko said. "What do you want to know about me?"

"How did you die?" her friend asked. Emiko's face went grim.

"Oh," she said. The butch demon couldn't dodge it in the end. Emiko took in a deep breath.

"I was murdered," she admitted. Sumire eyed her with pity.

"Emiko…" she murmured.

"No, listen," the butch demon cut in.

"It was fifteen years ago. The war had just ended. I was twenty-nine at the time. I was quite popular at the time. Both in a good and bad way."

"So what happened?"

Emiko bit her lower lip. "There was this guy. He was an American G.I. Real creep, kept groping the women." She stretched out her arms. "Well, he took a liking to me. He kept trying to sleep with me. I said no." The butch demon lay back on the grass. "He wouldn't give up. I had to deal with him for two weeks. Finally, I had enough. I told him off one more time. He asked why and I told him I was gay."

"He didn't like that?"

"No, I took a knife to the liver as a result. Died before I could get to the hospital." Emiko chuckled in a mocking way to herself. "I died for being a dyke." The butch demon happened to notice the expression on her friend's face.

"Oh…" Sumire mumbled. Emiko forced herself to smile.

"So, what were your childhood dreams?" she asked. Sumire took her time pulling herself together.

"Well," she murmured. "I wanted to be a folk singer when I was young."

"No!" Emiko gasped.

"Yeah," the other woman admitted.

"Can you sing?"

"A little bit."

"Will you sing for me one day?"

Sumire's cheeks colored pink. "Uh, well…"

Emiko giggled. "Maybe some other time."

"Okay."

_January 23rd, 2010._

Emiko quickly shook her head. _I can't get lost in the past._ She took in a deep breath. "Right…" the butch demon mumbled. She picked up the phone and began dialing.

"Hey Kumaraji! Haven't heard from you in a while. How have you been? You doing anything now? I really need you to help me overthrow Hell again. What? You're too tired? I need you for this! You'll think about it?" Click.

"Hey Kiku! How have you been? Want to overthrow Hell again? No? Why?" Click.

"Mytho? It's me, Emiko!" Click. The butch demon frowned at the phone. "Asshole."

"Hello? Is Con there? Great! Get him on the phone. What? He won't come to the phone. Why? Well, can't you make him?" Click.

"Okay then…" Emiko mumbled.

"Hey Sam…" Click. Redial. "Sammy!" Click. Redial. "Hey pal!" Click. Redial. "Hey!" Click. "Bastard!"

"Hi Suda! It's Emiko again. Change your mind yet?" Click. "Gee thanks, jerk!"

No one picked up. Click.

"Hello?" Click.

Progress out of those eight calls? Only two agreed to help. Emiko sat back and sighed. She looked up at the ceiling. _Sumire-chan, this'll take a while. Hang in there. You too, Hoto-chan._

Meanwhile, Ai went to go see Kida-sensei.


	28. Too Strung Up to Sleep

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: Too Strung Up to Sleep:_

_Don't think `cos I understand  
>I care<br>Don't think `cos I'm talking  
>We're friends<em>

_-"6 Underground" by Sneaker Pimps_

_January 18th, 2010._

Kida-sensei had just prepared for bed. He finished his bath and ate dinner. The man was about to call it a night when there came a knock on his door. The professor rolled his eyes and walked over.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Hyobe-kun!" a voice sang out. The man froze as the color drained from his face. _Oh shit!_ Kida-sensei raced to the door. "Why are you here?" he hissed.

"Let me in," his student called.

"No!" Hyobe snapped. "Go away!"

"Please," she begged.

"No!"

"I won't leave!"

Kida-sensei sighed. He should've known. This was Ai he was dealing with after all. She never took no for an answer. He might as well give up. The professor opened the door. Ai gave him a little smile.

"Good evening," she said. Kida-sensei groaned.

"What do you want?" he asked. Ai giggled at him.

"What else?" she asked. "You." Her lover shook his head.

"We can't do this." He tried to turn away, but she grabbed onto his wrist. Kida-sensei turned to see her getting him little kitty cat eyes.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" he asked.

Ai gave him a little pout. "Aww, why not?"

"Go back to your dorm."

She followed her arms across her chest. "No, I won't."

"Please!"

She kissed him on the lips. Not a hard kiss, but a soft, gentle one. Kida-sensei slowly closed his eyes. _No, this is wrong. We shouldn't be doing this. Stop... Turn away. Turn away!_ Why was he still kissing her? Why didn't he push her away?

"Take me," Ai whispered. "Take me tonight." Kida-sensei took her by the waist. He kissed her again and led back to his room. She pushed him back onto his cot. The professor looked at her with helpless eyes. Ai sat up, smiling. Her lover's lips began to quiver.

"Please," he whimpered. The student raised an eyebrow at him.

"Please what?" she asked. He swallowed as his face went pale.

"Don't tease me like this!"

His girlfriend smirked. "Maybe."

"Please!"

Her long black hair swept the pillow under his head as she leaned down to him. "Why should I?"

Kida-sensei's eyes widened like trapped prey. "Because…"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Because why?"

Kida-sensei swallowed again. "Because… Because…" He shut his eyes. He mumbled his answer. Ai paused over him.

"Hm?" she asked. Her boyfriend mumbled it again.

"I'm sorry," the junior said. "I didn't quite hear you."

"I love you!" the older man yelled. His girlfriend smirked.

"Good boy," she said. Ai's black sweater ended up on the floor. Hyobe reached up and groped her breasts. His girlfriend let out a low moan.

"I'll take it off if you want," she whispered.

"Yes," her lover whispered. "Yes!"

"What do you say?"

"Yes, please."

"That's a good boy." She moved his hands to her back. Kida-sensei found Ai's lacy black bra and took his time unhooking it.

"Oh," she whimpered.

"You like that, huh?" he asked. She only moaned in response. The professor smiled as he snatched off her bra. She reached down and pulled his sash loose. The junior grinned at him.

"Oh!" she said. "Commando, I see! I should have guessed. Naughty boy!" Kida-sensei's face went tomato red.

"Shut up!" he blurted out. Ai laughed aloud.

"That's not very nice!" she said. The junior let go of his robe. Kida-sensei lifted his head, pouting.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I won't continue unless you apologize," she said.

Disappointment clouded his face. "You can't be serious."

"Say it!"

Kida-sensei sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry."

"Say it like you mean it!"

"I'm so sorry, my love!"

Ai smirked at him. "Good enough, I suppose." She unzipped her jeans. Kida-sensei held up his hand as she began to slide them off.

"Wait!" he said. His student gave him a strange look with her jeans to her knees.

"Why?" she asked.

"I want to finish that," he said. Her jeans fell off onto the floor.

"Okay," Ai said. "Go for it." Her lover grinned as he grabbed her red panties and rolled them off of her hips. Ai spread her legs over him.

She rode him like a wild horse she was trying to break. The whole time, he never could understand it. How could he even keep up with someone as vigorous as her? Kida-sensei stared at her pleasure-filled face. _Oh to be young and stubborn._ His eyes rolled back into his head.

"Oh…" he moaned. She nibbled on his neck.

"Mmm," the junior murmured. His scent awoke memories of her childhood. Only then did she feel vulnerable. The professor broke her down in intimacy. But how was this possible? Love? She never bothered to find the answer herself. When the ride ended, Ai collapsed next to Hyobe. He glanced down at her.

"Now, why did you really come here again?" he whispered. Ai nuzzled his bare chest.

"A thank you," she murmured.

"Thank you?"

"Yeah."

"For what?"

"For getting the supplies for my project."

"Ah. Sure, you're welcome."

Kida-sensei looked at the ceiling as Ai went to sleep next to him. _Oh crap._ _Why do I keep doing this?_

Elsewhere, Tsuzuki came for his answer from Anna.


	29. Living Arrangements

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Living Arrangements:_

Tsuzuki looked around his apartment in victory. He was confident she would say yes. The shinigami felt giddy about the set-up already. A warm body in his futon, girly things in his bathroom, kissing her goodbye before going to work, and eating at home with her. Tsuzuki chuckled in delight. _This is going to be great!_

He cleared space for Anna's things last night. Her core made her stable enough to live in Meifu. She was technically still dead in the registry. When they married, everything would fall into place. He just needed her answer. Tsuzuki set out to get it.

_10:00 a.m._

The shinigami arrived at Kimoto Manor. He grinned up to his ears as he knocked on the door. Anna eyed him as she slide it open.

"Good morning," he greeted her in a sing-songy voice. His beloved's face told him she knew what he was here for.

"Come in," she said. Her fiancé did so. They sat in the living room.

"So," Tsuzuki said. "Will you move in or not?" Anna bit her lower lip.

"That was all so sudden," she said.

"I know," he replied.

"What will I tell Rihoko and them?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "You're moving in with me."

"We don't even have a wedding date," Anna pointed out. "Have you even told your coworkers?"

"No…"

"Asato-kun!"

He quickly put up his hands at her. "I'm working on it! I promise!" He paused as another thought crossed his mind. "Have you?"

Anna blinked at him. "Have I what?"

"Told anyone, besides Willow, to fix that mess where she thought you were a whore."

Her eyes grew big like a deer. "What?"

Tsuzuki's jaw dropped. "You haven't, have you?"

Anna's face reddened. "I was waiting until you did!" She clenched her fists. "I told Kobe and Willow!"

"But have you told anyone else?"

Anna nervously shrugged, shaking her head. "Sort of!"

Tsuzuki raised an eyebrow at her. "Sort of? What do you mean 'sort of'?"

"Well… I mentioned it to Yoko-chan," she answered sheepishly. Tsuzuki choked back a laugh. Anna whipped around to him.

"What?" she asked. The shinigami smiled at her.

"Well," he said. "Looks like we're in the same boat." Anna sighed aloud.

"So," Tsuzuki said. "What do you say?" His love's eyes turned to him as she dropped her shoulders and pressed her lips together.

"I'll try it out," she said. "But only for one week."

Tsuzuki felt like flying all over the place. "Anna-chan, I-!"

She quickly held up her hand. "Just one week!" Tsuzuki sat back, excited. Anna rose to her feet and walked down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Tsuzuki asked.

"To pack!" she yelled back. "If I'm going to stay in your apartment, I'll need a few things first, you know?" Tsuzuki sat back, smiling. _Perfect_, he thought. They still have to get married. The shinigami shrugged his shoulders, smiling. _Back to planning the wedding… Eventually…_

At Wisteria House, Emiko received her own display of love.


	30. Violets and Fireflies

_Chapter Thirty: Violets and Fireflies:_

_January 10th, 1962._

Emiko spent two years in the great open nothing between Heaven and Hell. No one bothered her. Nice and quiet all around her. Plus, she had her beautiful lady to feed and visit her every day. She liked it here.

The butch demon sat waiting near the pond. The noon sun dimly shone through the dense fog. Time never really moved in this place. _Must be nice…_

"Sorry to keep you waiting," a voice said. Emiko quickly looked up. Sumire stood behind her, smiling. The butch demon smiled back.

"No," she said. "In fact, you're just in time." She patted the moss next to her. Sumire sat down.

"So," Emiko said. "What do we have today?"

"Apan!" her friend cheered. "Nice and fresh from the oven." The butch demon's eyes lit up.

"Yummy!" she said. Emiko took a piece. "Wow! This is so good! God, I can't remember the last time I had apan this good!" Sumire sat there with a nervous smile. Emiko noticed her face.

"What is it?" she asked. Her friend swallowed as she shifted in her spot.

"You're a demon, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Emiko answered. "Why?"

"You escaped from Hell?"

"Yes…"

Sumire swallowed hard. Emiko reached down to her jeans to draw out her knife. The other woman quickly bowed her head.

"I won't turn you in!" she blurted. The butch demon froze.

"Huh?" she asked. Sumire lifted her head.

"I won't turn you in!"

"What do you mean?"

The woman pushed herself to keep talking. "You see, I'm an angel."

Her friend blinked at her. "Say what?"

"I am an angel who patrols this area for escaped demons. My unit and I are supposed to send them back to Hell. But… But…"

The butch demon raised an eyebrow at her. "But what?"

Sumire rushed forward and kissed Emiko on the lips. The butch demon's eyes widened in shock and delight. Sumire climbed into her lap. Her knees came on either side of her. Emiko almost unconsciously took the angel into her arms. Sumire pushed her tongue into her mouth. She grabbed her own white shirt and began to slide it off. She got it up to her full breasts when Emiko pushed her off.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Sumire blinked at her.

"I'm sorry. I just…" she said. The butch demon held up her hand to her angel.

"Look," she said. "I love you too, but we can't be together."

"Why not?" Sumire asked. "You're a free woman now!"

"That's not the point!" Emiko cried. Her hands began to tremble. "I just don't want you to become fallen!" Sumire watched her with big eyes.

"Emiko…" she mumbled. The butch demon lowered her head.

"Dirty as fuck!" she cursed softly. "Dirty as fuck! They all are!" Sumire lowered her head on her lover's lap.

_February 1st, 2010._

Emiko awoke to heavy chatter early in the morning. She fluttered her eyes open and sat up. _Huh?_ The butch demon wandered down the hall. She found her way to the living room.

"Hoto-chan," Emiko mumbled half-awake. "Could you keep it down? I'm trying to sle…?" The woman stopped mid-sentence as she looked. Her girlfriend and housemates sat with the seven leaders of the revolution. Emiko blinked a few times.

"What… is this?" she asked. Hotaru sat up with a grin.

"There you are," she said. "I was about to go up and fetch you. The meeting's about to start."

"But…" the butch demon let out. She looked at all of the men waiting for her. Emiko blinked again.

"How?" she asked. Hotaru grinned.

"Guess!" Hotaru replied, grinning. It didn't take the butch leader long to get it.

"Oh…" Emiko mumbled. The leader gave her sheepish look.

"Your Hoto-chan is so persuasive," Sam admitted.

"That she is," Emiko mumbled. Hotaru clapped her hands together.

"Right," she said. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes," the crew replied.

"Okay," the loli demon spoke. She nudged her head over at Emiko.

"Take a seat," Hotaru said. "Give us your plans, commander." Emiko felt like flying in that moment.

"Yeah!" the butch demon said. She took her seat at the head of the table.

"Good," Emiko said at last. Hotaru handed her the folder. The demons began their meeting to overthrow Hell. As she spoke, Emiko smiled the whole time. _Sumire-chan, Hotaru-chan, I will bring freedom to love through this war! You can bank on that!_

Yet another wave of blood came crashing violently close to Tokyo.


	31. Alice's Fall

_Chapter Thirty-One: Alice's Fall:_

_7:00 a.m._

The blood drops began with an odd text. Amaya's phone buzzed on the kitchen counter as she cleaned up the breakfast dishes. _Hm? _She lowered the plate and dish brush and picked up her phone. Amaya raised an eyebrow at the number on the screen.

_Who is this?_ The housewife opened the message. She squinted at the words on the screen. _What the hell?_

Start the revolution

"What kind of hoax is this?" the housewife mumbled. She hit delete and finished washing the dishes.

_8:25 a.m._

Amaya went out grocery shopping in Kyoto. The snow died down that morning. She couldn't help but smile. It felt good to be home. Now, she could make dinner and please Shichiro all night. Suddenly, she bumped into someone on the crowded street.

"Ack!" Amaya cried. "Watch out now!" The stranger said nothing.

"Hello?" Amaya asked. She started to get pissed off when she got no response still.

"Hey!" the woman snapped. "I'm talking to you!" The stranger still didn't speak. Instead, the man walked away into the crowd.

"So rude!" she hissed. The woman walked to the grocery store. Amaya planned a stew this evening. Plenty of beef, potatoes, leeks, carrots, onions, spices, and a little beer. _He'll flip to see his favorite when he gets home. This'll be a fun night!_ She felt like going all out tonight. Curry stew, Hoppy, rice balls, a nice hot bath, and a sexy night in bed. Amaya smiled at her plan in her mind.

The shopping took a fair amount of time. Close to forty minutes tops. Amaya knew what she wanted. Only one thing left to get. She made her way to the counter. The old clerk smiled at her.

"Kimoto-san," he said. "So good to see you again."

"Hello Amuro-san," she said. She put the groceries on the counter.

"Will this be all?" he asked.

"You have any Hoppy?" she asked. The old clerk grinned.

"Thought you'd ask." He disappeared to the back and returned, presenting the bottle. "You're in luck. This is the last bottle."

"Excellent."

The old man totaled up everything. "That'll be 7218.04¥."

"Yes sir." Amaya reached in her purse to pay up. The clerk noticed a small piece of paper falling out.

"You dropped something," he said.

"Huh?" Amaya asked. The woman looked down at the floor. Amaya bent down and picked it up. She unfolded it and read the contents.

Start the revolution

"What is it?" the clerk asked. She shook her head.

"Nothing." Amaya balled it up in her fist. "Here is my card." She paid for all the groceries.

"Have nice day," Amuro-san said. They bowed and Amaya left.

She hurried through the crowd to get home. _What the hell? How did I get that message? That creepy guy in the street must have given it to me._ She snorted to herself. _That was a rude bastard! He didn't even apologize!_ Something caught the corner of her eye. Amaya turned her head. _Huh?_ Everything looked normal at first glance. Amaya blinked for a few seconds.

_What was that?_ The air felt colder through her coat. _Am I seeing things?_ Amaya shook her head and continued to walk. She was about to cross the street when her head began to ache. She rubbed her temples.

What is this? I was fine this morning. She drew in a slow breath. A strange heat touched her nape. Amaya froze in place. _Who… Who is there?_ She slowly looked behind her. So many faces waited to cross. Amaya's eyes slowly widened in panic. These weren't people. A sea of glowing sharp fangs and menacing black and red eyes floated before her. Their laughter made her break out into a cold sweat.

_W-What is this? _The faces floated towards her, laughing. Amaya's shook her head roughly. _No. No! You will not take me! I won't let you take me! Stay back! Stay back! _The faces floated towards her like waves in the ocean. Amaya trembled and shook her head.

_Stay back! Stay back!_ The wave floated in closer. Amaya looked for a place to run. _Too many people! Too many people!_ The wave of faces came within inches now.

"Stay away!" Amaya cried. All eyes fell on her. Whispers filled her head.

Start the revolution! Start the revolution! Start the revolution! Start the revolution! Start the revolution!

"No!" Amaya cried. "Get away from me!"

_Murderer._

She slowly shook her head. "No."

_Murderer._

"No."

_Murderer. Murderer. Murderer. Murderer. Murderer._

"No!" A bloody hand grabbed at her chest. Amaya jumped away as fast as she could. "Stay back!" she stumbled backwards. Blood red fireflies against the light snow. They hovered over her head like a halo. Amaya tried to swat them away.

"I'm innocent! I didn't do anything!"

_Murderer!_

Everyone heard her scream. Amaya ran straight into traffic. She didn't even see the cars swerving to miss her and neatly taking out other predestinations. The fireflies kept up with her pace. She swatted at them to no avail. They just kept coming, even multiplying with each hit.

_Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!_

Amaya tried to escape without success. The blood-colored fireflies consumed her mind. She ran aimlessly for any sort of help.

_No one can save you now! You will die here like the damn mutt you are!_

"No!" Everyone could hear her screams in the streets.

_7:00 p.m._

Haruka took a shortcut through an alley to get back to train station when she heard someone whimper. Curious, she followed the sound to the darkest corner. The old lady found Amaya sitting on the ground in a daze. Her deep purple hair was in a frizzy mess. Her coat stained with blood. Amaya moved her hands against each other as if to wash something off of them. Haruka observed her daughter-in-law for a good moment.

"Amaya?" she asked. The middle-aged woman began mumbled something.

"All of that blood. All those years." She chuckled to herself. "It's crazy. Crazy… Crazy… I kept pushing Shichi-kun to keep killing. It just… turned me on." Amaya's glow died from her face. "I had a child once. Precious little boy. Shichi-kun wanted to name him after his father. Sweet little baby boy, but he had heart problems. The hospital observed him for nights and days after my C-section. My son was so little and his heart was so weak too. The doctors said he wouldn't make it another day. They asked if I'd like to hold him one last time. I said yes." Amaya sobbed hard.

"He died later that day! They disconnected his tubes and let me hold him for that one time. He died later that night!" The woman wept for the first time in years. Haruka smirked as she shook her head.

"Pathetic," she murmured. "Truly pathetic."

Stab! The blade of the knife struck the soulless doll in the chest. She didn't even gasp. Just like putting down a wounded animal. For one short second, time stopped and went quiet. The blade found a strong blood vessel before it was ripped back out and thrown away in the slushy snow.

Haruka walked away as Amaya fell over in her own seeping blood on the ground.


	32. Down to the Wire

_Chapter Thirty-Two: Down to the Wire:_

Watari hit a breakthrough two days later. He called Tsuzuki and Hisoka to his lab on a Wednesday morning. The boys watched the test subject behind the glass. She had calmed down by this point. Watari smiled at the gentlemen.

"Alright," Tsuzuki said. "What do you have for us?"

"Behold," his friend said. The scientist presented his notebook to fellow shinigami.

"Okay," Hisoka said. "What is it?" Watari turned to the first page.

"I took a blood sample from her," he began. "It's a match to the other blood sample."

"So she had…" Tsuzuki said. His pal nodded.

"She has the virus," he said. "With that conclusion, I did a little more research. It took me a minute, but I found the symptoms to the virus." He turned the page.

"Black rings around the eyes, dilated pupils, hallucinations, impulsive behavior, clawing at the skin," Tsuzuki read. He and the other two shinigami looked at Test Subject #7. Drool and vomit slowly ran down her chin. She hadn't slept in five days. Her stomach screamed to be fed. Only one thought walked through her brain. _I want to go home…_

Tsuzuki shook his head. "Shit."

"Is there an antidote?" Hisoka asked.

"The team and I are still working on that," Watari replied. "It'll take some time." They looked nervously at the test subject through the one-way mirror.

Sometime later in the evening, Test Subject #7 regained enough lucidity to escape. Didn't take much either. Her wrists were small enough to slip through the plastic cuffs that held her in place. Once out, she tried to find the exit. How she escaped passed her by in a blur. She just wandered into the hallway without a single lucid notion. _What is this place?_ White and dark obscured her vision.

"There she is!" someone on the night security called. "Stop her!"

"Stay away! Stay away!" The test subject backed away as she tried to reach for a door.

"Miss," the infirmary guard said. "Just calm down, okay? I'm here to take you back now."

"No, no, no, no!" she screamed. She froze as she crouched down, trembling. "Oh! My head!" she cried. "Ahh! Ahh!"

"Miss," the guard said as he approached her. "Are you okay? Miss? Miss?"

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. The pain continued to spike in her head.

"Miss!" His voice sounded so distant. Distant as she sank back into a black nothing.

By sunrise, the test subject awoke in the infirmary with Tsuzuki sitting on her bed. She gave him a lost, tired look. He put his hand on her pale forehead.

"We're only trying to help you," he whispered. "So please, don't run away; just trust us." She stared at him with blank eyes.

"Trust us," Tsuzuki pressed. The girl's mouth opened as if to talk. Tsuzuki covered it quickly.

"Don't," he whispered. "Trust us." Her tired mind didn't let her reply. Her eyes looked too hazy to answer.

"Just sleep now," Tsuzuki told her. The test subject lightly shut her eyes and let her distorted would slip into the back of her mind. Tsuzuki stayed with her for the rest of the morning.


	33. Stanley  Stella

_Chapter Thirty-Three: Stanley + Stella:_

_January 20th, 2010._

Stella unlocked her apartment door late at night. Mike nuzzled her on the neck. The wolf demon had to gently push him away.

"Easy," she said. "We have to get inside first."

"Mmm," the American demon murmured. Stella giggled as she opened the door. However, a pungent odor made her pause. Mike looked up at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Stella put up her hand.

"Someone's here."

"What?"

Stella lightly shushed him and walked forward. Her eyes scanned the room. Her ears and nose caught the intruder. She clenched her fists by her sides.

"Okay, Stanley!" she snapped. "What the hell do you want?" A cold breeze floated over them. Mike squinted in the dark.

"Is that… a face?"

A man stepped forward in the moonlight. He looked paler than cocaine. His coal-colored eyes had no soul to them. He still had on his black coat covered in melted snow.

"Hello Stella," he hissed. When he spoke, his pearl white fangs showed with some remaining blood on them. Mike stared at him as the other man eyed him.

"Oh? And who's this?"

Stella glared at her ex. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Stanley gave her a little pout. "Aww! Why so bitter?"

"You fucking stole from me!"

"When?"

Stella's face looked like a bullfrog. "You've been taking money out of my account!" Stanley snickered as he stepped forward. She saw his razor sharp fangs close-up. She could smell the blood on his breath. His icy fingers caressed her cheek.

"The only thing I stole from you was hot, passionate sex."

Stella pushed on his body as she struggled away from him. "Don't touch me!"

Stanley snickered. "My, my, my. Still a feisty little puppy, aren't you?"

"Let go!" She tried to push him away. Stanley's lifeless eyes lit up with fire.

"Bitch!" Smack! Stella got it across the face. The hate spiraled in her eyes.

"Asshole!" She tried to bite at his pearly white throat. Mike jumped in the way to hold her back. She struggled to fight.

"Let me go! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!"

Stanley laughed. "Oh what's this? My little puppy has a new leash? How cute!"

"Fuck you!" Stella yelled.

"I think you should leave now," Mike demanded.

"Why should I?" Stanley challenged. "I live here too."

"Used to!" Stella yelled. "I kicked you out!"

"Then why do I still have a key?"

"Get out! Get out or I'll rip out your heart!"

Stanley choked back a laugh. "My heart? I have no heart. I wouldn't know what one looked like if it kicked me in the balls! That's what you said, remember?"

"Fuck you, blood sucker!"

"Come at me then, mutt!"

"That's enough!" Mike snapped. "Get out of here!" Stanley put up his hands.

"Fine, whatever. It was getting boring anyway." He walked out the door. Stella glared at him.

"Don't you ever come back!" she yelled. The wolf demon flipped him off for extra measure. Stanley gave her the same gesture before slamming the door. Mike glared at him before turned back to Stella.

"You okay?" he asked. She looked at him, heavily panting.

"I want to kill him!"

Mike pulled her into his arms. "I know."

Stella rested her head on his chest. "I'm going to change the locks tomorrow."

"Good idea."


	34. Sweet Surrender

_Chapter Thirty-Four: Sweet Surrender:_

_January 21st, 2010, 10:00 p.m._

The clock ticked in the background as Anna cuddled up next to Tsuzuki in his futon. His mind seemed elsewhere. His fiancée glanced up at him.

"Something bothering you?" she asked. Tsuzuki shook his head. Anna gently brushed his cheek with her fingertips.

"Talk to me," she murmured.

Tsuzuki sighed. "It's a case I'm working on."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Well…" His hand found her waist. "One of the victims is only a high school girl." His eyes met hers. "In some ways, she reminds me of you in '99."

"Why? Did she lose her dad?"

He shook his head. "No, she's helpless and scared." He noticed the frustrated look on her face. "What?"

"I'm not a child anymore."

Her fiancé patted on the head. "I know."

She pushed his hand away. "Sometimes I wonder. You still look at me with that same pity you did all of those years ago." Tsuzuki frowned. Anna made a face at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled.

"Come on! What do I have to do to prove it to you?"

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I do!" she complained. Tsuzuki chuckled at her at her. Anna puffed up her cheeks at him. He laughed lauder and patted her on the head.

"You're so cute. That's why I love you."

Anna nuzzled his chest. "Tell me something, Asato-kun."

"Hm?"

"Are you some sort of a guardian angel sent here to save my soul or something?"

Tsuzuki smiled as he stroked her bare shoulders. "I'll be anything you want."

She glanced up at him. "Just like that?"

"Yeah."

"You mean it?"

"Yes."

She smiled at him. "You have always been here for me and you have been so good to me." She sat up and climbed on top. "So…"

Tsuzuki gave her a funny look. "What are you…?" Anna gave him a little smile as she gently put her finger to his lips. He drew his mouth closed. She gave him a little lick on the cheek.

"Please let me do this." She held up her hand to quiet him. "Don't talk, just nod." Tsuzuki complied and nodded once. Anna gave him a small kiss on the lips.

"Now, I think it's time I show how grown up I am."

"How?"

She leaned down and kissed him again. This time, he kissed her back. Her tongue found its way into his mouth inch by inch. His hands found their way to her shapely, narrow waist. Anna felt her heart jump into double time. Her legs came on either side of him.

_The young vagabond woke up in a sea of rich, green grass. The maiden's water led him into this gentle haven. He looked around the rich nature. His heart sank at what he saw. His maiden had vanished once again. _Why does she leave me? _A gentle breeze blew over his body. The vagabond's eyes trailed to the sky. The sun shone high with its weak light._

_"My, my," an airy voice echoed over him. His attention drew straight forward. A curvy nymph stood over him, looking down. She stood naked with her golden brown hair to her narrow waist. A brown and black serpent wrapped around her creamy pale body. The vagabond tried to look away. This nymph laughed._

_"Don't be embarrassed," she said. "I am a woman."_

_"I can see that."_

_"Do you?"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Then look at me!"_

_His face burned bright red. "I can't."_

_She looked at him rather curious. "Why not?"_

_The young man swallowed hard. "I… I…" Something caught his eye in the pond. Another nymph floated on her back, asleep. Her russet locks spread out all over the water. Her silk white dress soaked through and through, revealing her snow virgin body. The lad's cheeks fired red._

_"Oh god! Is she okay?"_

_The snake nymph laughed. "Yes, yes. She's like that from time to time."_

_"Hey, you should go and give her a little kiss."_

_The lad paused on the grass. "What?"_

_The nymph shrugged. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"_

_"Uh… well…"_

_"Go on, do it."_

_The young lad sighed. "Alright." He tried to get up, but found his body too heavy to move._

_"What's wrong?" the nymph asked._

_"I can't move; the grass is holding me down."_

_"Here, let me help you up." She reached down to his wrist and pulled him up. The young man stood before her with pomegranate red cheeks. The nymph moved his hand to her plump breasts. The lad's back broke into a cold sweat._

_"W-W-What are you doing?"_

_"For good luck." She winked and smiled at him. She held his hand still a little bit longer before letting go. The nymph turned him to the pond and gave him a little push._

_"Go get her!"_

_"Right…" The vagabond walked over to the water to the sleeping maiden. He walked waist deep to get to her. Her plump lips begged him to kiss her. The lad swallowed hard as his wrists trembled._ Here goes… _He leaned down hesitant over her. The lad kissed her on the lips quickly. The maiden fluttered her dark blue eyes open. He backed up some. The maiden sat up in a flash. The vagabond slowly backed up in the water._

_"I am so sorry, miss."_

_The maiden didn't speak as she rose to her feet and held up her arms. The water sprouted up and consumed her body. The young lad watched on with wide eyes. When the water died down, the nymph turned into a bright red swan. The lad stared on and gasped. The swan flew away to the high sky. A red feather floated down to the water. The vagabond picked it up._

_"Huh?" he asked. Suddenly, a huge wave shot up and swallowed him whole. Not a trace remained._

Anna lay on top of Tsuzuki, smiling. "Now do you believe I am all grown up?"

"Mmm." Both slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

_7:30 a.m._

Tsuzuki awoke to his cell phone ringing. "Hello?" The conversation didn't last long.

"Yes, sir!" he said quickly. "I'm on my way!" The shinigami hung up and leapt out of the futon. Anna slowly opened her eyes.

"Asato-kun? What's going…?" when she looked, he was gone. The woman sat up, blinking.

"Huh?" she asked.


	35. Ravished Mind

_Chapter Thirty-Five: Ravished Mind:_

_February 2nd, 2010._

The virus hit the crew hard then. It all started with a call to Kimoto Manor that morning.

"Hello?" Rihoko asked.

"Is this the Takahana residence?" a man asked on the other line.

"Yes, why?"

"This is Principal Tsukimoto. We've been having some trouble with Tojo-kun lately."

"What do you mean?"

"We need you to come down and talk to us."

"Okay…"

By nine o'clock, Rihoko, Anna, and Tsuzuki made it to Seita's school. The boy and Tsukimoto-san sat in the office, waiting. Seita looked apathetic as usual.

"What's the problem, sir?" Anna asked. Tsukimoto-san fought to stay professional.

"Tojo-kun has been starting many fights lately," he explained. "Cutting class, harassing female students, smoking on the roof. Oh god. I could just go on. It seems that he has fallen back into his old habits again." Three adults turned to the ward. He refused to speak. Anna couldn't understand this.

"Has there been any trouble at home lately?" the principal asked.

"No," all three adults answered.

"Everything's been fine," Rihoko answered.

"I see," Tsukimoto replied. He sighed and took off his glasses. "So strange."

"Why is that?" Tsuzuki asked.

"He isn't the only case," the principal said as he cleaned his glasses.

"What do you mean? How many other problems have you had?"

The other man took a breath. "Five, all over them relatively good kids."

"I see." Tsuzuki tried to put the pieces together in his head. Anna looked at him, curious. Tsukimoto put back on his glasses. His right hand tapped the polished surface of his desk. Tap. Tap. Tappy. Tap. Tap. Seita gritted his teeth. Under normal circumstances, he would tune out the sound along with the upcoming lecture, but now…

Seita leapt forward and gave the principal a big right hook. The man fell backwards against his bookcase. The boy jumped on him with more punches.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he screamed over and over again with each punch.

"Seita! No!" Rihoko yelled. Tsuzuki rushed forward and pulled the boy off of Tsukimoto. The principal panted in pain. The Shinigami dragged him into the hall.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" Seita yelled over and over again. Tsuzuki turned him around and put him on his feet. Anna and Rihoko joined them in the hall. Anna hurried over to him.

"Seita!" she said. "What's gotten into you?" The boy shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. "He made me mad."

"That's still no excuse," she said. She drew out her cell phone. Seita looked at her panicked.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What else? Calling the police!" Tsukimoto shouted. That's when something caught Tsuzuki's attention. Seita's eyes widened.

"But…" he pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Seita, but this is the only…" Anna said.

Tsuzuki held up his hand. "Anna, wait."

She turned to him. "Not now, I'm trying to discipline here."

"That might not be necessary." Tsuzuki took a step forward. He took out a flashlight. "Now hold still for me, Seita." The boy didn't speak. Tsuzuki flashed the light in his eyes. Seita flinched.

"Keep still," Tsuzuki said. In a few seconds, it came together in his mind. Dilated pupils and black rings around the eyes.

"Seita has the virus!" Tsuzuki said. The women looked confused. Could this be the reason for the regression in his behavior and constant headaches at home over the past couple of days? That would really explain so much.

"What?" they asked. Tsuzuki kept his attention on the boy.

"Tell me, have you been feeling sick lately? Think hard now," he told him.

Seita thought about his question. "Well, a little."

"How do you mean?"

"Well… I keep having headaches and…"

"And?"

"I keep doing strange things."

"Strange? Like what?"

Seita frowned. "Why do you keep asking me these questions?"

Tsuzuki lightly shushed him. "I only want to help you out." He reached forward to touch Seita on the shoulders, but the boy flinched away.

"Don't touch me!"

"Okay, okay."

"Care to explain what's going on?" Anna cut in. Tsuzuki turned to her, smiling.

"I just found a break in our case," he replied.


	36. Lost at Sea

_Chapter Thirty-Six: Lost at Sea:_

They found Amaya's body they day after the murder. A junkie found her while looking for a way to chase his fix in the alley. In an hour, the police crawled all over the place. "The Eda-Kimoto clan killed her." She had the markings on her wrists as proof. "Eda," "Kimoto," and "Fish" were all in Kanji. Just like her husband's victims in the past. No one doubted who did it when they learned the news.

Haruka watched her work among the crowd. Yet, she wasn't finished. There was still one more end to tack. She quietly slipped away.

Shichiro heard the news at Kyoto University. The professor stayed in the bathroom until it was time to go home. He couldn't function for the rest of the day. The police contacted him at school and asked him a few questions. Shichiro couldn't focus the whole time. He even looked like he would throw up. Sensing that they wouldn't get much out of him in this state, the police let him go for the time being. _Amaya's dead? No! It can't be! No!_

Kohaku watched from a distance as it shook its head. _She actually did it._ The kitsune paused in thought. _Shit! She can't be… Damn! She wouldn't!_ He counted down to his master's ruin.

That evening, Shichiro went home. He didn't even make eye contact with anyone. His mind wandered off elsewhere. _Amaya…_ He missed everything about her: her perfume, her nagging, her laugh, her moans in bed, her soft hair…

Shichiro tightly shut his eyes. _My heart hurts._ He put his hands to his chest. _Who could've done this?_ He shook his head. _It doesn't make sense, Amaya-chan…_ The man finally came home. His kitsune still watched with its tongue held shut. It couldn't tell the truth.

_Her powers are suppressing mine. Damn it! She really thought this through._ The kitsune couldn't warn the master.

Shichiro closed the front door. He froze when he heard someone clear their throat. He turned to the darkened living room. Haruka sat in Amaya's old chair, waiting. Her son blinked.

"Mama?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard the news," she lied as she started up her spell. Shichiro lowered his eyes.

"Oh…" His heart sank again.

Haruka kept her poker face. "Want to avenge her murder?" The sorrow-filled loneliness took over his heart. Kohaku knew what was coming next. Haruka mentally shushed it. _Don't say a word!_ The kitsune nodded at the door. Haruka turned back to her son.

"Well, do you?" she asked. Shichiro got down on his knees before her.

"Yes," he whimpered. His mother smirked.

"You're a good son," she murmured. "Cut out your heart." Shichiro fell under her trance.

"Yes mama," he said. The man put his finger to his chest and drew a diagonal line. His clothes and skin split open. Haruka didn't even flitch as the blood hit her face. She reached in and took out her son's heart. While Shiroko took control, the old lady ate up her son's still heart. She licked up all the blood from her mouth. Shichiro's body fell at her feet. Kohaku watched as he felt his body taken over.

"Now, it begins," it said. Just one more sacrifice…

Then came the morning.


	37. Bloody Stanley

_Chapter Thirty-Seven: Bloody Stanley:_

The virus made it so easy. The test subjects were animals now. Animals to be used in any fashion possible. So many to choose from. Haruka had a fitting one in mind.

_February 4th, 2010._

Stanley walked into Club Mad Hatter. She was here tonight. Stella came on another date with Mike. Stanley would not have that. _She's mine, asshole!_

"Stanley-kun!" a voice cheered behind him. The man drew his eyes to the source. An eighteen-year-old girl walked over to his table with their drinks. Stanley rolled his eyes. The yellow and pink she wore made him want to puke. _Why did I choose this idiot?_ Stanley forced himself to smile.

"Great," he lied. "Thanks, love!" The girl squealed happily. Stanley rubbed his ears. Hey, it's worth the mission after all.

Stella and Mike talked for most of the night over drinks. She enjoyed her date's company. Stanley sneered at the display. His date leaned her head on his shoulder. He tried to push her off.

"Get off," he hissed. The girl pouted at him.

"Aww, why?" she whimpered. Stanley gritted his teeth.

"You're being annoying!" he snapped. He ignored her trembling lower lip. _Oh shit, now she's gonna cry again._ Stanley turned to her and sighed.

"Look," he lied. "I'm sorry. I'm just a stressed right now."

The girl blinked at him. "Stressed? Well, let me give you a back rub." She reached forward, but Stanley moved away.

"Maybe," he lied. Stanley noticed Stella and Mike and paying and leaving. _They're moving_, he thought. The vampire rose to his feet and trailed the couple. His date whimpered.

"Stanley!" she wailed. "Wait up!" She followed him out the door.

Stella and Mike walked arm-in-arm down the street. Stanley trailed close behind. The girl following him got pissed off.

"Stanley!" she yelled. He froze in his tracks with his teeth and fists clenched.

"What?" he hissed. The girl paused a foot away.

"What is the problem?" she complained. "Don't you like me?" Stanley snickered as he turned to his date.

"No," he said. The girl's jaw dropped.

"What?" she asked. Stanley smirked at her.

"You don't get it, do you?" he asked. "I don't like you. You're just annoying and stupid. No guy would ever want you. I only used you to get to my ex!" His date's fire sparked beyond control. Haruka's subliminal command in her mind sprang to life. She pulled out a special knife she had hidden in her dress.

"Bastard!" she cried. "I… I…" Stanley laughed harder.

"You what?" he challenged. "Kill me? Ha! You can't do it! You don't have it in you! Besides, I can't die. I'm imm-!" The knife didn't even make a sound when it went into his chest. His date seemed to float through the air when she raced towards him. The stabbing happened so fast. Stanley coughed up blood all over the wooden handle of the silver knife. His date laughed like an insane jackal as Stanley fell to the sidewalk at her feet. Stella and Mike witnessed the whole thing. The wolf demon froze blank and her heart went numb.

Above, the sane and normal sky ripped into two as Haruka's spell took effect.


	38. Club Foot

_Chapter Thirty-Eight: Club Foot: _

A blackened fog swallowed Tokyo whole. Everyone sunk into the unconscious. Haruka made the spell reach Ju-Oh-Cho as well, but no one noticed, or rather most didn't. However, a few did.

Jules never really had clear feelings about Seita. Sure, she toyed with him, but nothing came of it until today. She dialed his number in her phone. _Come on_, she thought. _Pick up! Pick up!_

"Seita's phone. I'm not in right now. Leave a message and I'll get back to you. Maybe…" Beep. Jules groaned. "Hey Seita-kun, it's me…" After Jules hung up, she went out for the day.

The streets felt dead with no one was in sight. Jules shuddered as she looked around. _I hate this…_ She forced herself to keep walking.

"How are you? I missed you at school," the message said. Her footsteps echoed through the streets. Jules swallowed hard. _Keep moving. Keep moving. Keep moving._ She nearly jumped at the sound of her chattering teeth. She shook her head to herself. _This is dumb. Why am I like this? Just get to school and figure out what to do next. Right…_

Jules nearly jumped at the sound of her Amuro Namie ringtone. Jules slowly looked down and pulled out her phone. A puzzled look came over her face.

"4444444444?" Jules asked. "What the hell?" The call went straight to voice mail. Jules dialed up the number to the box to listen.

"You have one new message," the machine said. First came a low death rattle on the other line followed by a long pause.

"Why?" her own voice asked. The phone went click.

"What… was that?" Jules asked.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell you this," the message said.

Jules heard a low death rattle behind her. She froze as she turned her head. The girl could feel the hot breath hit her pale cheek. Her eyes widened at the soulless abyss before her. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest without touching it. Jules tried to move to one side in the narrow icy alley. The big black eye followed her every move. Jules looked around for escape. _No one will hear me out here_, she thought. Her heart sped up as she broke out into a cold sweat on her back. Her life rushed by her eyes, but she couldn't catch it in time.

"Why?" she whimpered. The claws ripped her chest wide open. She didn't even get time to feel it as silence blocked up her ears. The sound of the rip never made it to her brain. The kill took over five seconds that seemed to drag on forever. Jules fell backwards to the black ice below. Her blood looked like split juice as it seeped out of her torn up body. Her eyes remained wide open as she drew in her last breath for her physical body. Haruka's beast searched for more victims.

"Truth is, I really do like you. I mess with you because of it. I don't like you sick or in trouble. Call me back when you get better. See ya."

Outside, Seita's body cried soft tears.


	39. Internal Suicide

_Chapter Thirty-Nine: Internal Suicide:_

Ai grinned to herself in the lab. _I've done it! I unlocked the id. I did it! I did it!_ Her project went well, too well even. Ai laughed to herself.

"Aren't you proud of me, mama?" she shouted. "I did this all for you! Aren't you proud of me?"

They're all gone, all of them. Not in one gulp; they ended up plucked off one by one. Michiro's body was found in his bathtub. Blood stained the white walls and water. He had his mouth and eyes wide open. He looked as if he had been clawing at his neck for days. There was also evidence of his internal organs ripped out of his body.

"Perfect! All perfect!" Ai hissed. "It's perfect!" She spun around the cluttered lab with her arms in the air. Noriaki hanged from the ceiling by a noose. His neck had been clawed at just like Michiro's. The sophomore's back, chest, and stomach matched his neck. His blood dripped onto the carpet. The boy's spine was twisted into two halves.

Ai twirled round and round in the downstairs lab. "I did it! I did it! I did it!" Her voice became choked with laughter. She fell back on a futon she made in the corner. Yu managed to get away somehow, but Kida-sensei took it all the worst. His neck was twisted in two with his throat clawed at to the muscle. His limbs looked crushed with two ton weights. The rest of his body ended up ripped to strands in a heavy pool of blood. His big vacant eyes stared at the ceiling. Ai laughed on her futon until breathless.

Bang! The cold steel of the handgun hit the tile floor. Blood and brains splattered against the wall. She didn't even draw in her last breath afterwards.


	40. SOS Cloud

_Chapter Forty: S.O.S. Cloud:_

This experiment had to end. Yu floated through the blowing black clouds as he tried to look around for help. In half a day, he couldn't find anyone. Most of the people he trusted were dead or swallowed up. Cell phones didn't work either. All Yu could do was float around until he found another living soul.

He came to an empty pachinko parlor and looked in the window. His hope woke up from its coma and looked around. Tsuzuki sat next to one of the turned off machines. Yu pushed open the door and went inside. The shinigami looked up at the sound. Yu stared him up and down.

"You have the virus?" he asked. Tsuzuki shook his head.

"No," he said.

The junior's eyes lit up. "Thank goodness!"

Tsuzuki eyed him in a strange way. "Who are you?"

The junior snapped to attention. "I really need your help." The shinigami blinked.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Who are you?" Yu lowered his head as he readied himself for the next reaction to follow.

"The one who caused this mess," the boy confessed. Tsuzuki's eyes widened.

"What did you say?" he asked. Yu breathed out.

"May I sit down?" he asked.

"Sure," Tsuzuki replied. Yu took a seat next to him.

"First, I am so sorry for all of this," he said. "We didn't see this coming."

"Fair enough," Tsuzuki said. "What is all of this? How do we fix it?"

"My project leader wanted to unlock the human id. She recruited me and two other students. Yet, we couldn't do it alone. Our leader turned to one of the professors for some help." Yu shook his head. "I met her a couple of times during my freshman year. She only chased after her own interests."

"How did you make the virus?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I don't know from memory," the junior said. "I'll need the notes again."

"Well, where are they?"

"Back in the lab at my school." He grabbed Tsuzuki by the hands. "Please! We don't have time! I didn't want this to happen! I have to end this now!"

Tsuzuki didn't have to think at all. "I will."

Yu's whole face lit up, bowing his head. "I thank you!"

The shinigami held up his hand. "But!" He took a moment before speaking. "I need to know everything."

The junior quickly nodded. "Of course!"

"First, where is your team?"

Yu bit his lower lip. "Dead…" However, that answer didn't come out clear enough. Tsuzuki strained closer for a listen.

"I'm sorry?" he asked.

"They got killed!"

The shinigami gave them a puzzled look. "What makes you say that?"

"Can't contact them. Our leader took the keycard and no one was answering their phones before this mess started. I tried to go them, but then… this all happened."

"Alright, so this world isn't your doing?"

"No!" Yu shouted.

"I see…" Tsuzuki worked out the rest of the scenario in his mind. He turned to the junior. "Take me to your lab," Yu nodded quickly. He rose to his feet and headed out the door. The shinigami followed behind. Haruka's monster stalked them in the deep purple-clouded sky. Just one more before the main course. As it searched, dark rot lay in its wake.


	41. Lab Rat

_Chapter Forty-One: Lab Rat:_

The trip to Todai took an hour. Tsuzuki looked for signs as he followed Yu. He could sense the Eda-Kimoto clan behind this. Yet, he needed to break down the details. _This looks like Shichiro's work_, the shinigami thought. _But, it looks too advanced. Haruka, maybe? But how?_

"We're here!" someone spoke up. Tsuzuki looked up to see Yu stood in front of the Todai main entrance.

"Right," the shinigami said. Yu pushed open the doors. Inside felt so cold that Tsuzuki saw his breath.

"This way," the junior whispered. Only their footsteps echoed as the men hurried down the hall.

"No use," Yu said after he tried to switch on the lights. "Power's out." An idea came to him when he remembered something. "Hang on." The junior pulled his iPhone and turned it on. "That's better."

"Impressive," Tsuzuki said.

"Yeah," Yu replied. "This thing has saved me many times."

"I see," the older man replied. Yu led him to lab door. He frowned when he noticed the lock.

"It's a keycard lock," he complained, dropping his shoulders.

"Is there a manual lock?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yeah," the student said. "Hang on." He reached into his jacket pocket. It took about a minute to find the key. Yu quickly unlocked the door. The snitch of death bitch-slapped them in the face. The men had to back up fast.

"What the hell?" Tsuzuki asked. Yu went right inside.

"Wait!" the older man called. He raced right after him. More footsteps filled the air and it still felt cold too.

"It's just up ahead," Yu said. "Follow me!" Both men walked further inside. Tsuzuki looked around as Yu felt around for the desk.

"We kept everything in notebooks," he said. "I just need to find the drawer." The Shinigami looked until something caught his eye.

"Hey," Tsuzuki spoke up.

"Yeah?" the junior whispered as his fingers found the metal handle of the third left drawer.

"Is this your project leader?"

"Huh?" Yu turned and looked up. The iPhone dropped to the hard floor. Yu backed up pale.

"Ai…" he whispered. Her corpse looked as deranged like the victims of the virus. Yu trembled at such a sight. He clenched his fists. "I was afraid of this! It's gotten her too. Damn it! Ai, you unleashed this monster out of our control!" He tightened his resolve. "I have to stop this!" He turned back to the desk and resumed his search. Tsuzuki paused when he heard a low growl. His eyes glanced behind him. An uneasy heat licked his cheek. His eyes grew wide.

"Hey," he whispered. "Hey!" Yu didn't look up. Relief blocked out his brain.

"Found it!" he said. "The notes are right-!" Yu turned around too late. Invisible claws ripped at his body. His eyes widened fast as blood leaked from his mouth. The black nothingness began to grow fur. Yu body sank backwards. Tsuzuki grabbed him and the notes before they hit the floor. In a flash, they were gone.

Tsuzuki reappeared in the Ju-Oh-Cho's lobby. He got right on his cell phone.

"Hisoka?" he asked. "Get Watari down here right away! I need help with one injured and I found information on the virus!" He did his best to contain Yu's bleeding.


	42. Work to End

_Chapter Forty-Two: Work to End:_

Yu would be alright; Watari treated his wounds afterwards. The junior rested in one of the infirmary beds while Tsuzuki, Hisoka, and Watari looked over the notebooks.

"These are pretty detailed," Watari said. "Organized and everything." He flipped the page. Tsuzuki looked confused.

"What is all of this?" he asked.

"The make-up of the virus," his friend answered. "See, look." Something caught Watari's attention. "This isn't right."

"What's wrong?" Hisoka asked. Watari pointed to the page.

"This," he said. The other two shinigami got a better look at the page in question.

"What is that?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Not quite sure. Hang on," the blonde scientist said. He woke his laptop up and typed in the data. Coded information filled the screen.

"I knew it!" he said. "Take a look at this!" The boys did so. Tsuzuki's jaw just dropped.

"How did they get a hold of this magic?" he asked.

"Ai seemed to be well-connected," Watari said.

"But to who?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Well, they did have a professor helping them," Hisoka pointed out.

"Kida-sensei?" his partner asked.

"Yeah," the younger shinigami said. "Maybe we should look at him." They turned back to the notebook. In a few pages, there it was.

"He was the supplier," Watari said.

"Does it say from where?" Tsuzuki asked. The scientist shook his head.

"Doesn't say," he replied.

"Oh," the other shinigami said. "Is there a cure for the virus?"

"Hang on," his friend said. He came to the last notebook. Yet another surprise greeted them.

"It's coded," Hisoka said.

"Looks like a good one too," Tsuzuki said.

"Not a problem!" Watari bragged with a grin. "This is child's play!"

"So, you can…" Tsuzuki began. Watari nodded.

"Already on it!" he said. "I might even find the supplier!" The blonde scientist got right to work. Tsuzuki just remembered something.

"Watari," he said.

"Yeah?" his friend asked.

"Is there any possibility that the Eda-Kimoto clan decided to use the virus to their advantage?"

Watari and Hisoka gave him a strange look. Tsuzuki shrugged.

"Just a thought…" he suggested.

"No, wait," Watari said. "You might be onto something." He pulled out his own notes and did a quick search. "Ah, here it is!" Tsuzuki and Hisoka read through the page in question. The older shinigami shook his head.

"No," he said. "This isn't Shichiro's doing."

"How can you be sure?" Hisoka asked.

"We've seen his power before," he said. "This isn't that. This is much stronger."

"Haruka?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki nodded.

"But," he said. "I can't figure out how she's doing this."

"An advanced spell?" Watari asked.

"Maybe…" Tsuzuki replied. Watari sat back with a smile.

"Well then," he said. "You'll have to find that one out yourself." His friend gave him a blank stare.

"What?" he yelped. "Aren't you coming to help me?"

"We have to stay here and fix this mess," Watari pointed out.

"Plus, someone has to watch over him," Hisoka said as he motioned over at Yu in the infirmary bed. Tsuzuki pouted.

"So I have to do this alone?" he asked.

"Yes!' his co-workers said. Tsuzuki groaned.

"But where do I even start?" he complained.

"Well," Hisoka said. "Trace the kitsune."

His partner frowned. "But how?"

"I might help," Watari said. "Here." He printed out the notes that Tsuzuki would need to know. All the while Yu slept through his recovery.


	43. Unholy War Pt 1

_Chapter Forty-Three: Unholy War Pt. 1:_

_Heaven, February 10th, 2010._

The sun peeked through the cotton candy pink-tinted windows. Sumire drew her eyes open in bed. The sound of cranes outside remained her of what day it was. The angel climbed out of bed and got ready for the day. Sumire stood at her closet when she heard footsteps enter her room. She smiled to herself.

"Good morning, Mihashi," she said. Her male roommate leaned against the doorway.

"You're up early," he said.

"Uh-huh," she said.

"But it's your day off."

"I know."

"So… what's the occasion?"

Her hand found the right dress. "Ah, yes. Here it is." Sumire pulled out a light frilly purple and white dress. She turned to Mihashi, still smiling. "She comes home today."

_Hell._

Lucifer knew about the second rebellion already. He always had spies on hand, really experienced spies. Plus, the virus became excellent cover for his plans. His chamber door slid open.

"My lord!" his tenant said. "It's time!"

"So it is," the boss said. He rose to his feet and put on his cloak.

"Dispatch the Gemini," Lucifer commanded.

"Yes, sama," his attendant said. He bowed and departed.

_Haruka's Virus World_

Emiko paused when she felt the frame of the back porch shake. She opened her eyes wide. _They are here!_ Emiko rose to feet.

"Hoto-chan!" she yelled.

"What?" her girlfriend asked as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

"We've got company!" Emiko whispered. The loli demon fully woke up.

"Where?" she asked. Emiko pointed to the fog outside.

"Shall we engage the enemy?" she asked.

"Let's go!" the commander said. Both demons headed outside.

"Cold!" Hotaru said as the wet grass hit her pale ankles.

"Well, you should have put some shoes on," Emiko said.

"There's no time for that!" the loli demon whispered.

"Shhh!" her girlfriend whispered. Emiko jerked her head upwards.

"Jump!" she yelled.

"What?' Hotaru asked as she looked up. A fiery bomb fell from the sky. The demons jumped out of the way in time.

"Shit!" Emiko hissed. A woman's laughter filled the sky. Emiko and Hotaru looked up. Two figures jumped down from the blackened sky. The demons rose to their feet. Their new guests turned out to be two women, one with sea green hair and one with blue hair. The green-haired woman smirked.

"Oops," she said. "I missed." Emiko snorted.

"Amber!" she barked. "And Cho!" Amber drew out her knife.

"Didn't you do this years before?" she asked.

"So what?" the butch demon asked.

"Why do this again? Why? You're going to lose again!"

Emiko shrugged. "I have to."

"Kind of pointless, no?"

"But it has to be done."

"I won't let you."

"And why is that?"

Amber's pink dagger grew into a long sword. "Because…" She held up her weapon for attack. "You'll have to get through us first!"

Emiko chuckled. _Where have I heard that one before?_ Amber raced at her with the sword. Emiko held up her arm and blew on her wrist. She blocked the blade with a bright red, glowing hand. Amber tumbled backwards onto the grass. She rose to her feet and lunged again. Emiko pulled out her whip and transferred her power to liven up the leather. Whip! Sparks hit Amber in the face. The enemy prepared a sun bomb in her left hand and pressed it into Emiko's chest. Boom! The butch demon screamed out as she crashed backwards to the blackened grass below.

"Mama!" Hoto-chan cried. "No!" Cho, who stood there with her eyes tightly shut the whole time, ripped them wide open. A blue light struck Hotaru right in the chest. She didn't get time to scream out. The shock reached her brain and spine.

By the time Emiko came to, she opened her eyes and saw her girlfriend with big silver chains on her wrists, ankles, and neck. She whimpered aloud as she tried to remain standing up.

"Can't… breathe…" Hotaru whispered. Emiko cursed under her breath. _Shit! Not this again._ Amber snickered at such a display.


	44. Unholy War Pt 2

_Chapter Forty-Four: Unholy War Pt. 2:_

_Limbo_

Sumire sat in grass of the special place that she shared with Emiko all those years ago. A wave of nostalgia filled her body. So many memories danced in her head. Fresh apan she always bought for Emiko at the bakery on the way to this place, their picnics together, the talks that they shared, and their first kiss.

Sumire leaned back. She always wondered what would've happened if Emiko let her go further. The angel smiled to herself. _Maybe I'll see this time_, she thought. The angel reached up for the empty sky. _It's a quiet day today._

_Haruka's Virus World_

"I can't believe it!" Amber said. "You fell for the same trick twice." Hotaru kept trying to stay on her feet. Emiko gritted her teeth.

"Damn you, Amber!" she barked. Hotaru's soul became anchored to Emiko's through the chains. If Emiko got hit with an attack, her girlfriend would take the damage five times more. Emiko trembled in rage.

"Damn you, Amber!" she barked.

"Try and come at me if you can!" Amber taunted. Emiko's eyes trailed to Cho. The demon glowed in silence. The butch demon shook her head. _They put us in a harsh position. If I overdo it, Hoto-chan will be stuck paying for it._ Emiko studied Cho even more. Hotaru paused when she felt her lover's thoughts flood her body. She shook her head.

_No, mama! Don't do it!_

Emiko clenched her fists. _We have no other choice!_

_But you'll die!_

_I don't want to hurt you!_

_I can take it!_

_We already went over this!_

_But…_

_No more complaints! We have no other choice! Just do it!_

_At least try not to die!_

Emiko smiled in her mind. _Now there we go again, racking up with the promises here._

_Please!_

_Okay, okay. I will try to survive this. Just do it!_

_Understood!_

Amber snickered. "Aw, what's the matter? Give up already?" Emiko herself snickered.

"What?" her rival asked. Hotaru's body went stiff as soft black waves polluted the ground below her feet in one high-powered shot. Everything around them went still.

"What did you just do?" Amber asked. An earth-shattering scream caught her ears. Amber whipped around to see her beloved Cho with heavy black chains around her wrists, ankles, and neck.

"Cho-chan!" she cried out. Emiko laughed aloud.

"Impressed?" she asked as she rose to her feet. "You're not the only one who can anchor someone's soul to someone else!"

"But… But… How?" her enemy asked.

"Years of studying," Emiko said, smirking. "Now the playing field's even!" Amber gritted her teeth.

"Damn it!" she yelled. "I'll fix you!"

"Go ahead and try!" the butch demon challenged. Amber now saw fire.

"You!" she snapped. She let out a blood-filled scream as she raced forward with her sword. Emiko smiled as she shook her head.

"You poor, predictable dumbass," she muttered. Hotaru pressed a button on a hand-held device on her forearm.

In the house, Mike, Kazue, and the generals sat on standby. Mike looked up and saw green lights blinking in the fog. He turned to Kazue.

"Punch in the code," the demon said. "They need the light bomb!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kazue said. "Alright on it!" She punched in five digits on the keyboard projected on the desk. The leaders watched confused.

"What did you just do?" Suda asked.

"Sit back and watch the fireworks!" Kazue said with a grin. Kiku's eyes shot wide open.

"Don't tell me…" he shouted.

Emiko grabbed Amber by the wrist as she got close. The green-haired woman panicked.

"What the—" she yelled. Emiko grinned. She leaned in close to Amber's ear.

"Goodbye," she whispered. Amber shook her head.

"No!" she snapped. "It can't end like this! I won't let it!" The demon formed her left hand into a dagger made of bright green light. She took aim.

Boom! Hotaru shielded her eyes. A great light swallowed everything in its path. Amber and Cho screamed as they felt shocks all over their bodies. Emiko backed up, clutching her bleeding side where her liver was. She chuckled to herself in her mind. _Bitch got me after all_, she thought as she sank backwards.

_Pulsing cherry blossom pink everywhere. Emiko laid on her back, looking around. _It doesn't hut anymore. Did it work? Am I dead?

Emiko-sama!

_The butch demon paused._ That sounded like… _Emiko looked and saw a familiar sweet face looking down at her. She blinked many times, but the image didn't change._

_"Sumire-chan?" the butch demon asked. "Is that you?"_

_The angel pulled back. "You have fought well. You can come home now."_

_"Home? With you?"_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"But… how? I'm a demon and…"_

_Sumire shook her head. "No."_

_"No?"_

_"They cleared you of all your sins. You can go to Heaven now. Come home with me." She held out her hand to pick her up. Emiko reached out to her, but paused._

_"Wait!"_

_"What's wrong?"_

_"What about Hoto-chan, Mike, and Kazue? What will become of them?"_

_Sumire gave her a little smile. "It's alright. They will get to go to Heaven on their own paths someday."_

_Emiko managed a little smile. "I understand. I'm coming home." She reached up and took Sumire's hand._

After twenty minutes, everything went still. Hotaru looked around.

"Did we get them?" she asked. "Emiko? Emiko?" As Hotaru searched through the fog, she came across Amber and Cho lay out almost dead. They vanished before her very eyes, but where was Emiko?

A soft, warm light caught Hotaru's attention. She looked and saw her beloved Emiko floating before her. Her clothes turned fresh and bright white and she had two great white wings on her back. Hotaru gasped at what she saw.

"Mama!" she said. "You made it to Heaven?" Emiko smiled and gave her a small kiss on the lips.

"I leave the mission in your hands," she whispered with an unsettled ache in her heart. Hotaru quickly looked up.

"Hey, wait a minute!" she cried. Emiko was already gone to reunite with Sumire in Heaven.


	45. I Can't Face the Grazes

_Chapter Forty-Five: I Can't Face the Grazes:_

Seita wandered the grey. Everything blended together again. His heart felt numb to his throat. _Jules… Jules…_

He couldn't find her. He just knew something bad happened to her. Yet, the boy couldn't stop walking. Step. Step. Step.

His body felt so heavy. Seita didn't have a direction in mind. In fact, his mind couldn't function normally. The virus ravished whatever it could find. _Why am I here? Where am I going?_ Step. Step. Step.

His breath grew heavier. _Jules…_ He stopped when the anger took over the emptiness_. She shouldn't have died. She shouldn't have died!_ He stomped his foot on the pavement.

"Damn it!" Seita yelled. "That ain't right!" He paused when he heard a low growl inches away. He turned and saw the abyss. Teeth covered in blood, heated breath like steam and soulless eyes behind him. Seita's emotions died down at first, but then it became clear to him.

"It was you!" he snapped. "You killed Jules!" The monster didn't speak.

"You bastard!" he yelled. "You killed Jules! Monster! Asshole!" A low death rattle escaped the blackness. Seita panted.

"She shouldn't have died!" he barked. "Murderer! Killer!" He reached into his pocket and drew out a kitchen knife.

"You want to kill me, huh?" he shouted. "Huh?" The creature's breath grew harder. Red flipped on in its eyes. Seita's own anger spiraled.

"How dare you!" he cried. "I loved Jules! And you took her from me!" Seita charged forward with his knife.

"Die!" he yelled. The boy raced forward. He let out a loud battle cry. The monster didn't flinch.

Rip! Seita's blood coated the street. He didn't even make a sound. The boy heard silence as he fell back into his own blood. Gold butterflies blinded his eyes. He saw her smiling face. She always teased him. But why? Flirting, maybe? He never did get the chance to figure it out.

_My Jules… Jules… _His blood washed over his fallen knife in the street. He couldn't see anymore.

Outside, blood spilled from the mouth of Seita's out-cold body.


	46. Escape Plot

_Chapter Forty-Six: Escape Plot:_

Drip. Drip. Tick. Tick.

Anna looked above her. _How long has it been? Hours? Days?_ Yet, the atmosphere screamed at her. _She did this_, the woman thought. _But how?_ Clearly, Haruka used the virus to her advantage, but there had to be another element. A low rattle crawled overhead.

_They are watching me_, Anna thought. _I better stay still._ Her eyes followed the darkness. _If only there was some way to…_ She paused in thought as she heard knocking at the door. Anna clutched her knife by her side.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Only me," a voice said. The woman stood up and went to the door. She peeked out to see Stella at the door. Anna lowered her guard.

"Stella?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I wandered here when shit got weird," the wolf demon said. Anna unlocked the door and opened it a crack. Stella grinned and waved.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi…" Anna mumbled. The wolf demon noticed her hand.

"Expecting someone?" she asked.

"Hm?" Anna asked as she looked at her hand. She still held the knife tightly.

"Oh, that," she said. "Protection."

"From what?"

Anna leaned in close to Stella's ear. "My family is trying to kill me."

Stella gave her an odd look. "What?"

"Take a look around you," Anna said.

The wolf demon took a look around. "Okay, so?"

"Don't you feel that?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Does anything feel strange to you?"

"Yes… I just walked through to Meifu while I'm still alive, didn't I?"

"But how?"

"I've encountered this before."

Stella looked puzzled. "Huh? When? How?" Anna widened the door to let her in. Stella walked into the apartment and took her shoes off.

"So, what are you thinking?" she asked. Anna paced herself to talk.

"I think my grandmother's using one of my uncles to kill me," she said.

"How?" Stella asked.

"I don't know," the tsukai said. "I want to find out, but first…" Anna peeked out the window. "I need an escape route."

"Huh? Wh-?" the wolf demon asked.

"Shhh," the other woman whispered. "You heat that?"

"Hear what?"

"Shh!"

Both women listened in closely. A rattling filled the outside.

"What is that?" Stella whispered.

"Them," Anna replied.

"Who?"

"She's got me stuck here. Her hell butterflies are watching me, waiting to strike. I have to get out of here."

Stella gave her a strange look. "Okay…"

Anna grabbed onto her jacket. "Look! I don't care if you believe me or not! Just get me out of here!"

"Okay, okay," the wolf demon replied. "I'll help you."

Anna regained her composure. "Thanks." She gave Stella a little bow. The wolf demon rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever," she mumbled. She froze when something caught her.

"Stella?" Anna asked.

"Duck!" Stella yelled.

"Huh?" the other woman asked. The wolf demon grabbed her and hit the floor. Boom!


	47. Tesko Suicide Dance

_Chapter Forty-Seven: Tesko Suicide Dance:_

Anna jerked her head upwards. "What was that?"

Stella looked around. "Stay here." She listened for the enemy. "There!" The women rolled away in time. Crash! Someone crashed through the ceiling hard. Both women looked up. A high school girl crawled to her feet with a knife in her hand. Stella recognized the face. Heated rage filled her chest.

"You!" she snapped. "You bitch!" Anna looked up at her.

"You know… her?" she asked.

"She killed my ex!" Stella yelled.

"What?"

Stella stood up with her fangs out. "Bitch! I will make you pay!"

The deranged girl laughed like a jackal. "Oh yes! You. I only have one request."

The wolf demon raised an eyebrow at her. "And what would that be?"

The virus-infected girl held up her knife. "Die!" She rushed forward to kill. "Die! Die! Die! Die!"

Stella grabbed Anna out of the way in time. Both rolled to the wall. The tsukai looked at the wolf demon.

"What's going on here?" she asked. "Who is she?"

"This girl was being used by my ex to spy on me," Stella answered. "He must have pissed her off somehow and she killed him."

"Stanley was my true love!" the girl yelled.

"No, you stupid girl!" the wolf demon shouted. "That asshole had no heart! He just used women just for the hell of it!"

"Liar!"

"It's true. Trust me! I've dated Stanley for years. If this was under normal circumstances I would congratulate you on the kill!"

The girl threw down the knife and screamed. "Lies! All lies! I will kill you! I will kill you both!" Stella looked over her shoulder.

"Run away," she told Anna.

"But what about you?" Anna asked. Stella smirked as she stretched her neck from side to side.

"I've got to settle this crap permanently," she said. The wolf demon winked. "See ya!"

"Okay then…" Anna mumbled. Stella turned back to the virus-ravished girl. This time, she had pulled out a gun from her purse. The wolf demon all but laughed.

"A gun?" she asked. "Come on, you can do better than that!" Bang! The smell of burning silver floated from the barrel of the gun. Anna's eyes shot wide open. Stella didn't make a sound as she fell backwards on the carpet. Her blood oozed out from the gaping bullet hole in her chest.

"Oh God, Stella!" Anna gasped. She turned back to the shooter. The girl's face looked paler than a corpse. Tears ran down her frail cheeks.

"Help… me…" she murmured. Then, the poor soul pointed the gun at her own head. Bang! Anna's heart welled with anger as the assassin fell backwards without a peep. The woman clenched her fists. The rest of her body didn't allow her to move to do anything else.

_Fuck you, Haruka! I'm going to end this now!_ Anna drew in a deep breath and stormed out the front door. She didn't know where she was going, but hey! Better than sitting around and feeling useless again, you know?

Funny thing. Tsuzuki had the same thought on this current mess as well.


	48. Mercy

_Chapter Forty-Eight: Mercy:_

Tsuzuki followed a high burst of energy racing through the sky. This wasn't the first time he had such a shock. He had encountered this once before. He, Anna, and Hisoka were lost in that maze then. No, not like that time. The waves seemed to rip at his chest. Tsuzuki took in heavy breaths for help to keep it together.

_It's here_, he thought. _But in which direction?_ Luckily, Tsuzuki had a clue in the sky. Purple tears filled the empty space above. A decaying scent filled the shinigami's nose.

"They are close," he said.

"What will you do?" Hisoka asked. His partner turned to him.

"I have to go out," he said.

"You what?" Watari asked.

"I'm going to end this for her!" Tsuzuki declared.

"Don't make this about Anna-san!" Hisoka yelled.

"But I have to!" the older shinigami said. "She became my responsibility when I brought her back to life. She needs me and I can't abandon her now!" Hisoka clenched his fists.

"I'm coming with you!" he declared. Tsuzuki reeled back in shock.

"You can't!" he cried. "I have to do this alone!"

"No, you don't!" Hisoka argued back.

"Why?"

"Because I'm your partner!"

Tsuzuki drew back and he turned to Watari for help. The blonde scientist shrugged.

"He does have a point," he said. Tsuzuki dropped his shoulders.

"Alright," he said. Hisoka regained himself.

"Thanks," the boy said with a bow. So, here they were now. Tsuzuki tried to push this predicament to the back of his mind. _I can't drag him deeper into this_, Tsuzuki thought. _I have to end this quickly._ The shinigami followed the purple streaks as they grew frequent and heavier in the sky. Tsuzuki breathed harder as he looked behind him. Hisoka didn't look fazed at all. _What is with him? Did Kohaku do this to him from last time? Must be convenient…_

A trail cold in the air surrounded him. The shinigami's eyes looked around. No buildings, no cherry blossoms, no people; just… nothing. A black-purple nothing swallowed up everything around him. Tsuzuki's stomach turned. _This is so creepy…_

Something caught his ear in the airless silence. He turned when he heard what sounded like a dying patient trying to breathe loudly with a ventilator. The bright lights nearly blinded him. Tsuzuki shielded his eyes with his hand. Thump. Thump. Thump.

A look of confusion washed over Tsuzuki's face. _What… is that?_ The white plump skin made the heart-thumping noise. The veins looked like roads on a map. The eyes looked sullen and dead. This creature's mouth stayed stuck open. No limbs attached to its body. In fact, it looked to be floating. The creature had a human face. Tsuzuki blinked in further confusion.

_Shichiro?_ The shinigami narrowed his eyes for a better look. His jaw dropped at the revelation that he came to. _It is! But… what the hell?_ It didn't take him long to figure out a small clue of what happened.

"Haruka did this to you!" he gasped. "That's just so…" He paused when the poor creature made a sound as if to try and talk.

"Hm?" Tsuzuki asked. The shinigami took baby steps closer. He leaned his ear in really close.

"Kill…me…" the creature pleaded. Tsuzuki pulled back in startled pain.

_No_, he thought. He didn't want to kill; it was against his gentle nature. That's why being a shinigami hurt him so much, but yet…

Tears ran down Tsuzuki's cheeks. He reached up to wipe them away. _What's this? Why am I crying? He's Anna-chan's enemy, but, he doesn't deserve this. How… How could Haruka stoop that low?_

"Kill… me…" Shichiro pleaded again.

"I understand," he replied. The shinigami pulled out a fuda and held it to the creature's beating core. He chanted a soft spell. The beast shut its eyes as the fire spell blew him up from the inside. Black blood exploded everywhere with the mass ball of grey-white wrinkled flesh. Tsuzuki watched on with pity in his eyes as black blood hit his face. He couldn't think of a single word to voice what he thought.

In her house, Haruka gasped aloud as her heart snapped in pain. She fell back in her black and gold armchair with a thump. Shiroko fainted at her mistress' feet. The old lady panted as she gripped the arms of her chair.

"He broke my spell!" she hissed. "Bastard broke my spell! I refuse to lose just yet! I won't!" She began to rebuild her connection to her nightmare world. She still had the remainder of the virus after all.

In the space of nothing, Kohaku open its eyes.

"It's done," the kitsune said. It vanished to its new vessel leaving the body to dissolve as the eaten souls floated away to freedom.


	49. Salvation is Free

_Chapter Forty-Nine: Salvation is Free:_

Anna wandered all the way to Ju-Oh-Cho. She didn't know why she came here to look for a way to kill her grandmother. The woman pushed open the door.

"Hello?" she asked. "Is anyone here?" Anna stepped in with care.

"Anybody here?" she asked. Her steps became slower as her eyes glanced around the empty space. A sneeze made her pause. Anna turned to the back corner. A girl, subject #7, sat on floor trembling. She held her knees to her chest. Her teeth chattered as she spoke. The words from her mouth made no sense. Anna took small steps towards her.

"Are… you alright?" she asked. The woman lifted her head. The test subject's eyes looked just as red.

"What happened?" Anna asked. "Are you okay?" The child's eyes widened.

"You can see me?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Anna said with a slow nod. "Why?" The girl's eyes widened with long lost relief. She chuckled aloud.

"Oh thank goodness!" she said. "I'm so glad to see you! I was so scared!" She clung onto Anna in desperation. The woman blinked.

"Uh… what's your name?" she asked. The girl had her head buried in her chest.

"Sekai!" she blurted out. "Please… don't leave me!"

"Okay…" Anna said. "What's the matter?" A loud voice laughed though the pipes. Sekai grabbed onto Anna's brown shirt tighter.

"He's here!" she cried. "Don't let him get me! Please, mama! Don't let him get me!"

"What are you talking about? Who?" Anna asked.

"Sekai-chan!" that same voice yelled. "Come out, come out where ever you are! You can't run from me! I am your mind after all!"

"No!" Sekai wailed. "No! No! No! No! No! No!" She huddled into a ball crying. Anna held her close.

"Shhh," she whispered. "He won't get you. I won't let him. I'm here." The girl trembled as she nodded. Anna came up with an idea.

"Hey, why don't you come with me," she said. Sekai jerked her head upwards.

"No!" she wailed in a whisper. "He'll get me!"

"He'll get you if we stay here. Now come on," the woman whispered back. She helped the poor soul to her feet and walked her down the hall. They came into Watari's lab. Anna blocked the door behind them. She finished up and sat down to catch her breath. So far, no luck with finding anyone. _Must be part of Haruka's stupid spell_, she thought.

"Okay," the woman said. "What's going on? Who is after you so badly?" Sekai's eyes stayed on the floor.

"I'm sick," she mumbled.

"What?" Anna asked.

Sekai gulped as she shut her eyes. "Last month, two Todai students came by my school and offered to do experiments on us. I agreed to participate." She trembled as she relived the details in her head. "I got the shot and strange days later."

"Strange, how?"

The girl shook her head. "I became hungrier and couldn't stop eating. I kept getting into fights at school. I even flirted with random strangers in the downtown parts of Tokyo." Sekai trembled again. "I did all of that? I feel so disgusting!" The girl broke down crying after many weeks of being out of her head in confinement. Anna processed this new information that she had learned. Sounded so familiar…

"Tell me," she spoke up. "Which school do you go to?"

"Hibiya High School," the test subject replied. Anna froze at those words. _That's Seita's school! But how did he get the virus?_

"Did a boy named Seita participate in the experiment?" Anna asked. Sekai shook her head.

"No?" the woman asked.

"No," Sekai replied.

"I see," Anna said. "Is this virus contagious?"

"Only through blood through an open wound."

"I see…" Crash! Anna whirled around at the sound. Someone was trying to break down the door. Sekai screamed as she held her head.

"He's here!" she cried. "He's coming to get me! No!" Anna rose to her feet.

"No, he won't!" she snapped. "I won't let him!" Sekai looked at her with big eyes.

"But how?" she whimpered. "He is my mind!"

"Let me deal with him," she said. "Just stay down!" The girl nodded as she ducked down with her ears covered.

"Right," Anna mumbled. Crash! The door fell to ground and a strange figure walked into the lab. He looked like a clown with the brightly colored suit and nightmare-inducing make-up on his face. Instead of hair, he had giant needles sticking of his head. The clown laughed aloud.

"Oh Sekai-chan!" he called. "Your friends are waiting for you! Come out and join them!" He narrowed his eyes in the silence.

"Oh come on!" the clown yelled. "I won't hurt you! Maybe drive you insane. Injure you a bit. Drive you to mayhem and suicide. Your buddies really miss you. They are the ones who gave me this body! So come out and play!" The clown's mismatched eyes scanned the darkness.

"I know you're here!" he called. "You can't hide from me! So why don't you come out already?" He spotted a huddled bundle near the back exit. The clown licked his big red lips. _Found you!_ The personified version of the virus rushed toward the bundle in question.

"Oh come on!" the clown said. "Sekai-chan, let's be friends. You know you want to! Come out and play!" He came within inches of the shaking bundle on the floor. The clown reached out to the target… Slash!

Anna let off a silent battle cry in her mind as she lunged at the virus' neck with her antidote-covered knife. The clown's needle head rolled all the way to the destroyed doorway. Anna stood up, panting. _I did it._

Moments later, Sekai rested her head on Anna's lap as she slept. The woman lightly stroked her long brown hair.

"Sleep well now, you hear?" she whispered. Anna looked up at the dark ceiling. _I wonder how long it will take for them to find us._


	50. Aftermath

_Chapter Fifty: Aftermath:_

_February 10th, 2010._

So much mess to clean up. Fine way to go into the new month with the first case of the year. No satisfaction was to be gained from it. Tsuzuki and the boys found Anna and Sekai in Watari's lab. The test subject slept in her bed in the infirmary as Anna and Tsuzuki sat by her side. He hadn't spoken the whole time. In fact, he gave Anna a cold look. She didn't understand why.

"What's wrong, Asato-kun?" she asked. He frowned as he didn't answer. His fiancée frowned as she tried to figure it out.

"What did I do?" Anna asked. "Is it because I went off alone? I had to! I didn't want to feel useless! Besides, I killed the virus, right? Right?"

"That's not the point!" he snapped.

"Asato-kun?" his girl asked.

He clenched his fists. "What if he killed you too? I'm sorry, but I want to keep you around for the wedding! You keep forgetting that you're not alone anymore! You have me now, remember?"

"But Watari's antidote worked!"

"What if it hadn't? Didn't you think about that? Don't do something like that again, okay?"

Anna sat back silent in her chair. He wouldn't see it her way. _Still worth it_, she thought. _I did the right thing!_ Stella, Jules, and Seita were all cremated days after their bodies were found. Tsuzuki and Anna decided to take Stella's ashes back to her family.

"Does she have any living relatives?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Her parents and sisters live in New York," Lucy replied on the phone.

"I understand," the shinigami replied. "Thank you." By morning, he and Anna set out for New York.

Sekai made a full recovery and went home after several questions and tests. Surprisingly, Yu awoke from his injuries fully healed. He insisted that he be punished for his involvement in the experiments.

"This was my fault," he told Watari in his infirmary bed. "I should have said something earlier. Maybe then…"

Watari held up his hand. "Yes, we know."

"But…"

"You want to repent? Don't do it again and do the right thing."

"But…"

The blonde scientist shushed him. "You'll be able to leave in the morning." He turned to head out the door. "You should rest until then." Watari went back to his lab to assess the damages. Yu sat in bed, blinking.

_Who are these people?_ The junior sat alone in his thoughts.

In limbo, Sumire sat near the pond, waiting. Her fingers played with the thin grass as she smiled. The angel turned to see Emiko as an angel standing before her.

"Hey," Emiko said. Sumire rose to her feet.

"You're home," she gasped.

"Yep, I'm home," the butch demon said. Sumire raced over to her and threw her arms around her neck.

"Welcome home," she whispered loudly. The angel kissed her lover on the lips. Emiko held her rather surprised. She blinked as Sumire gently pulled away.

"Sumire-chan, you…" she said.

"That's right," the other angel replied. "I came out. I came out and I'm still an angel." Emiko smiled and shared another kiss with her.

On the eleventh, Rihoko and Mike cleared out Seita's things from his room.

"I'm going to miss that lazy bum," Mike said.

"Yeah," Rihoko said. She walked to his nightstand and noticed his cell phone. "He's got one missed call."

"Hm?" Mike asked. He walked over for a listen as Rihoko hit play.

"Hey Seita-kun, it's me. How are you? I missed you at school. Anyway, I wanted to tell you this. Truth is, I really do like you. I mess with you because of it. I don't like you sick or in trouble. Call me back when you get better. See ya."

Meanwhile, Ju-Oh-Cho sorted through all of the souls Kohaku had eaten in the past. So many souls would take at least three months to sort out, but for the first time in years, Wong Ami's soul finally made it back home to Hong Kong.

Owari


End file.
